“Can I tell the truth now? Because I am confused,” — this was the first thing 16-year-old Anastasiia asked when she saw the word “Ukraine” after crossing the Russian border.

Anastasiia lived in the enemy country for three years. When her parents divorced, she stayed with her father in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District until adulthood. It was a small town without large shopping malls or much entertainment. The people there differed from those back home, but Nastia quickly made friends.

When the full-scale war started, Anastasiia constantly followed the news. She was deeply disturbed about her mother and relatives in Ukraine. In school, she began to face bullying — her classmates called her khokhlushka (a derogatory term for Ukrainians), asking why she had come to their country. Nastia tried to ignore the taunts, and eventually, the bullying stopped. However, what shocked her most was the military training that had become a common practice in the school she attended.

At the end of each school year, all students were required to participate in a game called Zarnitsa, starting from grades 3-4. Mandatory parts of the competition included marching, stations, obstacle courses, and contests. For students in grades 8-11, the tasks became more advanced, such as assembling and disassembling firearms and shooting. Students were assigned roles such as special forces, drummers, pilots, and more.

Students trained three times a week to prepare for the competition. And parents had to buy military uniforms for the event. Refusal to participate was only allowed for health reasons. Nastia had been part of these competitions since 6th grade, although she initially did not want to participate. Eventually, she decided to observe how it all was holding. By 10th and 11th grade, students were recruited for cadet training — optional for girls but mandatory for boys.

At one point, the school began collecting clothing and food for their soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Anastasiia said she had relatives in Ukraine and would not send anything to the soldiers. No one argued with her, but she was very anxious when her uncle in Ukraine was drafted into the war, fearing that enemy forces could kill him.

It is unclear how long Nastia would have remained in the aggressor country if not for the tragic death of her father in a car accident. Her mother did not want to leave her daughter alone there, as the girl had no relatives or friends other than her father in that country. However, the guardianship service did everything possible to keep Anastasiia. They told her, “Why would you go to Ukraine? There is war, no electricity. You won’t be able to study there. But here, we will provide everything for you.”

Olena, Anastasiia’s mother, went through hell to bring her daughter back. She was interrogated, humiliated, and denied entry at the border, but she did not give up. With the help of Save Ukraine, Nastia finally returned home. However, she still faces a long journey to heal from her trauma and return to regular life.

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