One day, Russian soldiers burst into 15-year-old Artur’s home. They were dressed in civilian clothes, wearing masks and balaclavas. They searched the house, confiscated everyone’s phones, and summoned his mother for a “talk.” When his father asked the uninvited guests to show some identification, they silently pointed to their weapons: “Is this not enough of an ID for you?” His dad tried to protect his wife, but they immediately threatened him: they said they would take him too, and that things would end up much worse for both of them. They gave no explanation as to where or why they were taking his mother.

“Often, almost every day, I wonder where she is being held and what condition she’s in,” Artur shares.

Several months have passed since then, and his mother remains in captivity. The family turned to the local police but were bluntly told that these agencies do not report to them. After the family filed an appeal with the prosecutor’s office, they were suddenly shown a photo of Artur’s mother. In it, she was holding a piece of paper that read: “I renounce my family and do not wish to disclose my whereabouts.”

Artur absolutely refuses to believe this story. He knows his mother would never write such a thing—unless she was forced to by armed men. The Russians also claimed that Artur’s mother was supposedly renting an apartment somewhere far from the front lines and just living her own life.

“It’s a lie! She was simply kidnapped and is being held captive,” the teenager insists.

Following the mother’s abduction, Russian soldiers called Artur’s sister. They offered to release their mother in exchange for the girl leaking the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and air defense systems to the occupiers. Naturally, his sister refused.

Artur’s father still cannot sleep properly. Artur is also devastated: he constantly thinks about his mother, not knowing how to help her. It takes a heavy toll on his grandmother, too—she worries endlessly about her daughter but is completely powerless to change anything.