Footage shows Israeli’s car coming under Ukrainian fire in deadly mistaken identity
Report says Roman Brodsky now believed to have been killed by Ukrainian civilian defense militia; ‘How can you shoot without checking? Animals!’ exclaims his partner
Video footage was released Wednesday by Israeli television purportedly showing the deadly shooting of an Israeli man traveling in a convoy outside Kyiv when Ukrainian troops apparently mistook him for a Russian-aligned militant.
The footage showed a stopped car coming under sustained fire, with at least one person shooting toward the vehicle from close range.
The Kan public broadcaster said it appeared the gunman was a member of a Ukrainian civilian defense militia. It had earlier been reported that the Israeli was killed by a Ukrainian soldier.
Roman Brodsky, a father of two, had been living in Ukraine with his family.
Brodsky’s partner, named only as Mila, told Kan that she believed he was shot dead on Monday when he was misidentified after a photograph circulated in Ukraine showing Chechen fighters in a black Porsche, similar to her partner’s vehicle.
“I was driving the other car behind him, as soon as the shooting started I got out of the car. I heard people say they were waiting for some Porsche. Is that him? How can you shoot without checking the vehicle documents? Our vehicle was a different color. Animals!” Mila said.
The broadcaster said Mila had received the footage of the shooting, but no further details were given.
According to Channel 12 news, Brodsky’s father, Yafim, wants to bury his son in Israel, but Mila is afraid to travel.
“I don’t know if I can get out of here alive or manage to bring him there. They are shooting like crazy,” she said, according to Channel 12, which broadcast on Tuesday parts of a call between Yafim and Mila.
Brodsky was the first Israeli citizen reported killed in the Russian onslaught against Ukraine launched last Thursday.
The Foreign Ministry said Brodsky was part of a convoy of vehicles traveling to the Moldovan border to leave the country. He and his partner were intending to then fly to Israel.
Despite Ukrainians shooting Brodsky, his family told the Channel 12 news outlet that they blame the “dictator” Vladimir Putin for his death.
Brodsky came to Israel at age 13 with his family. He lived in the country for a number of years and had two small children. He returned to Ukraine about two years ago to start a business in Kyiv.
The Zaka rescue service gave his age as 37, though some Israeli news outlets identified him as 41 or 42 years old.
Israel’s Ukrainian Embassy said Wednesday that there were approximately 3,000 Israelis still in Ukraine, although it was estimated that around half of them wished to stay there. Israel urged its citizens to leave Ukraine starting a number of weeks before Russia’s invasion.
