Ukrainian teen from occupied territory found serving in Russia’s army, says Back to Ukraine project

In July 2025, a Ukrainian teenager from the Kherson region, now 19 years old, was discovered fighting on behalf of Russia, according to the Ukrainian initiative Back to Ukraine. This case marks one of the first instances of its kind, as reported by the organization. Mustiatse's hometown of Krynky, located in the Kherson region, was occupied and later destroyed by Russia following the full-scale invasion in 2022.

At the age of 14, Mustiatse became one of many Ukrainian children under Russian occupation. He was last seen on VK, a social media platform, where he posted photos of himself in Russian military uniform and displayed the letter Z, a symbol associated with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The organization deactivated his page in November 2025, leading them to speculate that Mustiatse may have been killed.

However, they later found that he was alive, having been wounded and treated at a military hospital in Moscow before being sent back to the front. After discovering a second VK page under the name Alexander Famenok, Back to Ukraine contacted Mustiatse directly. In response, he admitted that he had always felt a strong connection to Russia, stating, "When a person born in Ukraine sincerely considers Russia to be 'their side,' that's not an accident, but the result of systemic work."

The Ukrainian project Myrotvorets has added Mustiatse to its database, classifying him as an accomplice in Russian aggression against Ukraine. Back to Ukraine's goal is to document the militarization and Russification of Ukrainian children under Russian control, with no formal identity other than their Instagram and Threads accounts, established in mid-July 2025.

The initiative has raised awareness about other Ukrainian children who remain in Russian-occupied territories or have been taken to Russia since the war began in 2014.