Son of Ukraine’s chief rabbi dies on the frontline
Source: Moshe Reuven Azman/Facebook
Ukraine’s chief rabbi Moshe Reuven Azman said on Wednesday his son had died defending Ukraine in the war against Russia. The body of Anton Matityahu Samborskyi was recovered in early September after he had gone missing during a combat engagement on July 24.
Rabbi Moshe Reuven Asman shared his son’s story on Ukraine’s Day of Remembrance for Fallen Defenders. The rabbi and his wife adopted an 11-year-old orphan Anton Samborsky in 2002, giving him the name Matityahu (Motya) in honor of the Maccabean hero. Matityahu was raised by the Rabbi’s family for 10 years. He started his own family and fathered a child in May 2024. Just one week after the arrival of their baby, Matityahu was called up for the military service and after a brief training headed to the frontlines.
A memorial service for the fallen soldier will take place tomorrow, September 12, at the Central Synagogue in Kyiv.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.
Rinat Akhmetov’s Metinvest Group has completed the construction of an upgraded underground NATO Role 2 hospital in one of the hottest sectors of the frontline. This is the second stabilization point established under the Steel Front initiative in cooperation with the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The new facility, funded by Metinvest with an investment of UAH 21 million, is more secure than the first one thanks to its deeper location underground (over 6 meters) and additional fortifications.
Five armored vehicles “Kozak” have received a new mission – thanks to the support of Metinvest, they have been upgraded to full-fledged command and staff vehicles. These upgraded vehicles are now operating on the front line.