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6/17/2025, 1:22:51 PM
They Stole His Passport, Forged His Signature, and Sent Him to the Front Lines in Ukraine
A St. Petersburg father of three was abducted and forced to fight in Ukraine after his identity was stolen and used to sign a military contract without his knowledge, according to a statement from his family obtained by the independent news outlet ASTRA.
The ordeal for Pavel P. began on March 2, 2024, when he reported his passport stolen. A month later, someone used his stolen credentials to enlist him at a military recruitment center in St. Petersburg. Pavel remained unaware of this until April 2025, when he was abruptly detained and taken to a military search facility.
There, his family claims, he was threatened with physical violence—including being "zeroed out," a chilling slang term for being killed and made to disappear—and coerced into joining the 1009th Assault Regiment on the front lines.
The family’s statement highlights the absurdity of the situation: Pavel has no military background, no criminal record, and is the primary caregiver for his three young children. The most damning piece of evidence is the military ID used to forge the contract, which was registered under a completely different name.
His relatives believe he was deliberately shuffled between different military units in an attempt to "cover their tracks." Despite repeated formal inquiries from his lawyer to Russia's top law enforcement and military bodies, including the Ministry of Defense, the family has been met with total silence.
ASTRA now reports that Pavel has returned home. Russian authorities are reportedly searching for the person who signed his name to a military contract and sent him to war.
A St. Petersburg father of three was abducted and forced to fight in Ukraine after his identity was stolen and used to sign a military contract without his knowledge, according to a statement from his family obtained by the independent news outlet ASTRA.
The ordeal for Pavel P. began on March 2, 2024, when he reported his passport stolen. A month later, someone used his stolen credentials to enlist him at a military recruitment center in St. Petersburg. Pavel remained unaware of this until April 2025, when he was abruptly detained and taken to a military search facility.
There, his family claims, he was threatened with physical violence—including being "zeroed out," a chilling slang term for being killed and made to disappear—and coerced into joining the 1009th Assault Regiment on the front lines.
The family’s statement highlights the absurdity of the situation: Pavel has no military background, no criminal record, and is the primary caregiver for his three young children. The most damning piece of evidence is the military ID used to forge the contract, which was registered under a completely different name.
His relatives believe he was deliberately shuffled between different military units in an attempt to "cover their tracks." Despite repeated formal inquiries from his lawyer to Russia's top law enforcement and military bodies, including the Ministry of Defense, the family has been met with total silence.
ASTRA now reports that Pavel has returned home. Russian authorities are reportedly searching for the person who signed his name to a military contract and sent him to war.
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