Daniel Boffey covers the story of Staff Sergeant Denys Tkach, who was the initial casualty of the Russian invasion and subsequently passed away.
In the eastern Luhansk region of Ukraine, an hour and twenty minutes before Putin declared a “special military operation” in Ukraine, staff sergeant Denys Tkach was killed on February 24, 2022, while serving at a military checkpoint near Zorynivka. Was this the moment the war truly began? The Guardian’s chief reporter, Daniel Boffey, has investigated the circumstances surrounding Tkach’s life and death, speaking to those who knew him and uncovering the complex aftermath of his death. Boffey shares his findings with Michael Safi.
