A British man living in Russia was forced to fight in the Russian army to keep his visa and stay by his Russia wife and their newborn. Now he is declared missing in action.

…

British man Nathan Stobbart has been declared missing in action while fighting for Russia in Ukraine. He kept his military service a secret from his family in the UK, who are now desperately trying to find him.

…

Foreign men in Russia have been forced to join the invasion in Ukraine in return for citizenship.

Valerie, Nathan Stobbart’s mother in the UK, does not agree with her son’s decision to fight but accepts he faced a difficult choice - he could either return home to Newcastle in north-east England without his wife and newborn son or join the Russian army.

“He was so desperate to stay with his family he would do anything,” she says.

…

Nathan did not travel to Russia with the intention of fighting in the war … He moved to Russia on Christmas Day 2024 to start a new life with Ksenia, his Russian wife.

They had met online and she had visited him and his family in the UK.

The couple got married in Russia and were bringing up their son like a “normal, little family”.

They were also raising Ksenia’s three children from a previous relationship, which meant relocating the whole family to the UK was deemed unaffordable, Valerie says.

She questioned Nathan’s initial decision to move to Russia but warmed to the idea because the couple lived “miles from any fighting”.

…

As the days and weeks passed since Nathan went missing, the enormity of the situation became increasingly clear.

…

Archived