According to\u00a0the BBC on\u00a0October 20, 30-year-old Nathan Stobbart moved<\/a> from Newcastle to\u00a0Russia in\u00a0December 2024\u00a0to\u00a0live with his Russian partner, Ksenia, whom he\u00a0had met online. The couple married and had a\u00a0child together.<\/p>\n However, Stobbart reportedly faced an\u00a0ultimatum from Russian authorities: sign a\u00a0one-year military contract or\u00a0risk losing his right to\u00a0remain in\u00a0the country.<\/p>\n His mother, Valerie Stobbart, said her daughter-in-law told her that Russian officials had threatened to\u00a0deny him permission to\u00a0stay and deport him unless he\u00a0joined the army. \u201cHe\u00a0was so\u00a0desperate to\u00a0stay with his family he\u00a0would do\u00a0anything,\u201d Valerie told the\u00a0BBC.<\/p>\n Stobbart joined Russian forces in\u00a0April 2025\u00a0without informing his family in\u00a0Britain. He\u00a0had previously told his mother that he\u00a0was working as\u00a0an\u00a0electrical contractor. In\u00a0December, his wife contacted Valerie to\u00a0report that he\u00a0had disappeared during military operations against Ukraine.<\/p>\n A\u00a0Russian military document reviewed by\u00a0the BBC confirmed that Stobbart was officially declared missing in\u00a0action on\u00a0December 12, 2025. His body has not been recovered, and his whereabouts remain unknown.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u00a0never wanted to\u00a0join the army,\u201d his mother said. \u201cHe\u00a0was there to\u00a0live with his family.\u201d The BBC reported that Stobbart had recorded a\u00a0farewell video for his mother before his deployment, intended to\u00a0be\u00a0delivered if\u00a0he\u00a0was killed.<\/p>\n The British Foreign Office confirmed it\u00a0was aware of\u00a0the case and remained in\u00a0contact with his family, but warned that its ability to\u00a0provide consular assistance in\u00a0Russia was severely limited.<\/p>\n Read more<\/p>\n CategoryLatest news<\/a>Russia Pressures Migrants to\u00a0Join War in\u00a0Ukraine or\u00a0Risk Expulsion<\/a><\/p>\n \n Mar 24, 2026 12:30\n <\/p>\n Stobbart is\u00a0not the first British national to\u00a0fight for Moscow. According to\u00a0the BBC, Ben Stimson and Aiden Minnis previously received Russian citizenship after fighting in\u00a0the temporary occupied Donbas region, while another British citizen, Bradley Townsend, was killed fighting for Russia in\u00a0June 2026.<\/p>\n His mother, who condemns Russia\u2019s invasion of\u00a0Ukraine, continues searching for information about her son and believes he\u00a0may still be\u00a0alive in\u00a0Ukrainian captivity. No\u00a0evidence confirming his capture or\u00a0death has emerged.<\/p>\n Stobbart\u2019s case follows other reports of\u00a0Russia using deportation threats to\u00a0recruit foreign nationals. In\u00a0August, Ukrainian military intelligence reported<\/a> that a\u00a0Moldovan citizen had been pressured into signing a\u00a0Russian military contract under threat of\u00a0deportation and was killed in\u00a0Ukraine less than two months later.<\/p>\n![\"British](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/41cb642a2aba8c173f3e52b8c339b984.webp\" "\\"British")
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\n British national Nathan Stobbart with his Russian wife, Ksenia, whom he\u00a0moved to\u00a0Russia to\u00a0marry. (Source: BBC)<\/p>\n![\"Russia](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/(x0-y9-w1024-h578)-1d2df6e01ad7f4a474096704bc9d546d.jpg\")
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