Ukrainian teenager from Kherson region, listed as missing, is fighting for Russia

Ukrainian Alexander Mustyatse, whom Kyiv considered to have been abducted by Russians as a teenager, has joined the Russian army and is fighting against Ukraine.

This was reported by the British newspaper The Times.

Mustyatse lived in the village of Krynky in the Kherson region. Russian forces occupied the village two days before his 15th birthday. After that, Ukrainian authorities added the teenager to the list of missing persons on the “Children of War” portal.

Nothing was known about the young man’s fate until last month, when it emerged that 19-year-old Mustyatse had joined the Russian army. According to the head of the Save Ukraine organization, Mykola Kuleba, this is the first known case of a Ukrainian child who had been considered missing joining forces fighting against Ukraine after reaching adulthood.

Mustyatse’s page on the social network VKontakte features photographs of him in Russian military uniform and a cap bearing the “Z” symbol. In a photo from February 2023, he was also wearing a T-shirt with the letter “Z.”

Activists found another account belonging to Mustyatse and made contact with him. During the exchange, he stated that he does not consider himself a traitor to Ukraine, and that Russia, in his words, “has always been in his heart.”

Ombudsman Lubinets previously reported that thousands of missing Ukrainians may be located in Russia or in territories under its control.