Matvii grew up in southern Ukraine. When the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched their counteroffensive, his mother and grandmother—both ethnically Russian with staunchly pro-Russian views—forcibly relocated him to Russia. There, they received state-issued housing and immediately began pressuring the boy: “Go serve in the military. You’re a man, after all!” Matvii refused and argued with them constantly. He told them outright that he supported Ukraine, but it was no use.

One day in Russia, he was handed a “red” draft notice, which meant mandatory immediate conscription. It was only at the military enlistment office that Matvii discovered the truth behind this sudden urgency: his own mother had asked her acquaintances in the security forces to serve her son with the draft papers…

What followed was a medical exam, a distribution center, basic training, and active duty in the Russian army. When the military service “gifted” by his mother finally came to an end, Matvii returned home, got a job just to keep up appearances, and began planning his escape. It wasn’t easy, because his mother always kept his identity documents in her possession. But one day, Matvii quietly managed to take them back. Under the guise of taking a trip to the seaside, and with the help of Save Ukraine volunteers, he made his way to the border.

His phone rang right in the middle of the border check. His mother was screaming on the other end: “I know where you are! I am going to stop you!” Matvii panicked, but the guards let him through without a hitch.

Today, he lives at a Save Ukraine center. He dreams of signing a military contract in the future—but this time, to serve in the Ukrainian army.