Letter from soldier Vitaliy Markiv, sentenced to 24 years by an Italian court

 

International, War in the Donbas

On August 24, 2019, Maryna But, a member of the Ukrainian community in Italy, received a letter from Vitaliy Markiv, written on August 9, 2019 from his place of detention in Pavia, Italy.

Here is part of Vitaliy’s letter. We can only read, admire and support the spirit of this young Ukrainian fighter.

“Happy Independence Day, Ukraine!

I shall not give up without a fight and I shall fight to the end, to victory, our common victory! I shall fight for the sake of those who have fallen, for the sake of those are still with us, but are physically unable to fight, for the sake of those who are fighting today on the front lines, for the sake of those who will rebuild our country and make it strong, for the sake of our future generations that will no longer have to shed their blood on the battlefield, for the sake of all our battalions and brigades, all my compatriots who have not yet lost hope and are not yet tired of fighting for their Homeland, for the sake of those who love and are proud of their culture, customs, language and history, for the sake of Ukraine, its people and all those who call themselves and consider themselves Ukrainian!

СЛАВА УКРАЇНІ!!! (Glory to Ukraine!!!)

Senior sergeant of the National Guard of Ukraine Vitaliy Markiv was arrested in Italy on June 31, 2017 on charges of complicity in the killing of Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli and his Russian translator Andrei Mironov near occupied Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast in May 2014. Markiv has consistently denied his complicity in the incident. The trial started on July 6, 2018; there have been 17 court hearings. On July 12, 2019, the Pavia court sentenced Vitaliy Markiv to 24 years, a verdict that stunned the defense, the prosecution and those following this trial.

Translated by: Christine Chraibi
Source: Facebook Oles Horodetskyy

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