‘Who Could Kill His Own Father?’: Ukraine Soldier Narrates Story Of Fighting His Father On Russian Side

Unlike other young Ukrainians who were worried about the safety of their parents, Artur had a different message for his father.

New Delhi: After Russia unleashed the biggest attack on a European state since the second world war with its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, just like other Ukrainians Artur also tried to contact his family. A report in The Guardian narrates the story of a 27-year-old who picked up the gun against his father who is fighting for Russia.

Unlike other young Ukrainians who were worried about the safety of their parents, Artur had a different message for his father. Artur abused his father Oleg in the message. In response to the message received from his son, Oleg, a colonel in the pro-Moscow separatist forces in eastern Ukraine replied, “Don’t pick up a gun. Kyiv will fall immediately”, as quoted by the Guardian.

Ignoring his father’s advice, Artur quickly enlisted as a volunteer and took part in Ukraine’s successful defence of its capital city Kyiv, which resulted in the withdrawal of Russian forces from the region in April. He later became a part of the regular Ukrainian army and most recently took part in its counter-offensive in the north and east of Ukraine. 

All this time, he was in touch with his father in Russian-occupied Donetsk through text messages which he had shared with the Guardian. “We are literally on the opposite sides of the frontline. But only one of us is fighting for the right cause,” said Artur in a video call from Zakarpattia oblast, as quoted by The Guardian.

Zakarpattia oblast is the westernmost region of Ukraine, where Artur was recuperating after months of gruesome fighting.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine because of the two countries’ complex past led to the separation of thousands of families. Out of many stories, a few portrayed the family divide as dramatically as Artur’s, the first known account of a Ukrainian soldier whose father is fighting as part of the Russian forces.

Oleg came from the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region and served a decade in the Ukrainian army until 2011. After his divorce from Artur’s mother that year, Oleg shifted to Russia in search of work, according to his son. According to The Guardian’s report, Artur’s father Oleg’s struggle for money made him join the Donetsk pro-Russian separatist forces in 2016. This came two years after Moscow annexed Crimea and Putin sent his forces to prop up the separatists in eastern Ukraine.

“I was shocked when he told me he was joining the Donetsk militia,” Artur recalled. “For me, like for many Ukrainians, this war started in 2014, and that meant he joined the enemy,” The Guardian quoted Artur as saying.

“Russian propaganda was taking hold of him. I thought he wouldn’t succumb to it, that he would be smarter than that. But I was wrong,” Artur added.

However, the two kept in touch when Artur went on to follow his long-term dream of pursuing acting in Kyiv after studying engineering. But the rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine which were followed by Russia’s invasion of invasion increased the distance between father and son.

Artur sent a short video message to his father in the early part of March and mocked him for his earlier warning about the fall of the capital.

"I am walking around but can’t see a single Russian. They seem to have disappeared. Can you please advise, I don’t understand where they are?” he said in the video, The Guardian reported. This happened after most Russian troops were repelled from Kyiv.

In his reply, Oleg said that Russia’s fortunes would soon change and he also urged his son Artur to drop his weapons. “At that point, I already saw that his hopes of a Russian victory were dwindling. He started to become more desperate as Ukraine was gaining more ground,” The Guardian quoted Artur as saying.

The father and son had a conversation again after evidence of Russian killings of civilians emerged from the Ukrainian town of Bucha. Oleg termed the reports as “fake”, parroting Russian television claims that the images of dead civilians in Bucha were staged and that the civilians had been killed by Ukrainians themselves.

Talking about his conversation with his father, Artur said that he told Oleg that he was in Bucha and he had seen everything with his eyes. “I told him that I was in Bucha myself, that I had seen everything with my own eyes,” the report quoted Artur as saying.
“But, I realised he was hopeless. I stopped trying to convince him of anything. It is wasted energy,” he added.

According to The Guardian, one of the last times the duo was in touch was when Artur’s unit helped liberate Izium at the start of Ukraine’s lightning counter-offensive in the northeast of the country. “Rejoice while you can,” the father texted. “You are like the bad guys in horror movies. When evil gets beaten, it always promises to return,” the son replied.

When Artur was asked by The Guardian what he would do if he faced his father on the battlefield. In response to this question, Artur said, “I don’t think I could shoot him or that he could shoot me. Who could kill his own father?”. For now, the grim prospect was unlikely to materialise as his father was stationed at a military base in Donetsk, he added.

In one recent message to Artur, his father said: “You are still my son. I want the best for you. For you to be happy and healthy.”

“But I think he should face some punishment for all of this in court,” said Artur. “I would like to see him witness our victory and his world crumble.” Despite everything, Artur said he had worked hard not to let anger and hate consume him. “My father betrayed our family, and he betrayed our country. But I am fighting out of a place of love for my country.”

“Blind hate would eat me alive, and I would just burn out before this war ended,” he said, adding that after the war he wanted to return to making movies and helping soldiers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to The Guardian, Artur’s story was first revealed by Help Desk, a Russian journalism startup and support chat for those who were affected by the war. After realising that many Ukrainians were struggling with similar family issues, Artur decided to share his story.

“I wanted to get the message across that you are not responsible for the choices of your family. It doesn’t make you less of a patriot if your father is a criminal.” His unit was aware of his family history, Artur said, but never questioned his loyalty. “They know I am 100% committed to Ukraine,” The Guardian quoted Artur as saying.