“My mother thought that a girl was worse for me than Russian army.” Bohdan Bezkorovaynyi lived in occupied Crimea as a teenager, not hiding his pro-Ukrainian views, and in 2026 he left for Ukraine. An interview

You arrived in Kyiv on January 1, literally a new year and a new life. Kyiv is currently going through its worst times in decades — shelling, blackouts, and shelling again. How are you coping with it?

I think itʼs good. It doesnʼt cause me any inconvenience. I hardly heard any shelling. Once, when I was walking to the hostel, I saw flashes and heard explosions. Iʼm not really afraid of them. It happened in Simferopol and Sevastopol too. Maybe Iʼm used to it.

Letʼs go back 12 years. When Russia annexed Crimea, you were nine. You probably understood that the flag you would live under would change. But everything else for you as a child was not supposed to change. What is your most memorable memory from that time?

I didnʼt want to think about all this. But my relatives, unfortunately, are pro-Russian, they reassured me that everything would be fine, not like before. I didnʼt understand what that meant. They were happy among themselves. At school they said that Ukraine never existed, that we had always been Russians.

But there was also a teacher who constantly talked about Ukraine, the history of the Ukrainian flag, coat of arms, and anthem. Actions in the city were very frequent, with both EU and Ukrainian flags. About a year later, everything changed. They started talking a lot about Russia, and there was no focus on Ukraine at all.

When youʼre a child and you hear about the referendum, you see the Ukrainian flag being changed to the Russian one, people taking to the streets, you look for answers in your family. You said that your family supported the annexation. Did your parents explain anything to you?

When the Maidan began in Kyiv, they were constantly watching the news on TV. At first, I wasnʼt interested. Something is happening, let it happen. What can I do? But they scared me. They said that the protesters would come here now, that there would also be chaos. My mother had "Stop Maidan" stickers everywhere at work.

At some point, I also started listening to the news. I was scared, and my parents explained to me that it would all end soon. I remember the protests [in 2014] well, there were a lot of Crimean Tatars coming out. My mother worked in the center of Simferopol and told me that Tatars were protesting en masse.

My attitude towards Tatars changed a little then, for some time I perceived them as something dangerous.

Were your parents able to convince you that Russia would really be better?

I think so. As a child I believed that. I thought I was Russian.

Besides family, there is another environment — school, friends. You say that for some time after the annexation, there were teachers at school who continued to talk about Ukraine. How long did that last?

It was March-April 2014, there were about two months left to finish studying, and the summer holidays were already beginning. After them, the subjects changed — “The World Around Us” appeared, Russian literature was added, and many hours of Russian language were taught.

The school curriculum completely changed from the new school year to Russian. We had to think that we were Russians. There were many thematic events at school. Somewhere to sit, listen to something, or watch a movie. I didn’t like them either in Russia or in Ukraine, I was bored.

Did those who participated in the Youth Army and similar movements get better grades in school? Were there any advantages for them?

It started later. At first, our teachers didn’t understand whether [the occupation] would last long, and they tried to be neutral. When I moved to another school, there was a cadet class as an additional class. The teachers could give better grades to those who [studied there]. They offered us to join the “Youth Army”, and they also hinted at grades.

In general, everyone who agreed was treated better. This also applied to children’s camps. For example, the last time I went to the camp, our shift was called “Youth Army”. There, they taught us how to march or showed various skits on the theme of World War II.

Did you participate too?

I didnʼt go to studios [at school], but at camp I had to participate in such activities. For example, if you didnʼt sing the Russian anthem in the morning, they could make you do push-ups or run.

Was it so bad that some of the children refused to sing the Russian anthem?

Iʼve never seen anything like that. They could punish someone if they noticed that someone, for example, was opening their mouth incorrectly.

I talked to a girl who had been living in occupied Makiivka since 2014. She said that once, she “out of interest” went to the local library and asked for a book by Stus. The police were called for her, but thatʼs it. Have you had anything like that? A craving for the “forbidden”, i.e. for Ukrainian?

[After the annexation of Crimea] for a while I believed that I was Russian, and that Russia was cool. Then I turned twelve. It was 2017, Alexei Navalny became very popular. His video “He’s Is Not Dimon” came out. I watched it, and something switched inside me.

I no longer thought that Russia was cool, and that you had to be a patriot. I often watched his videos. I know that he himself considered Crimea Russian, but once he said that Crimea is Ukraine. I was interested to hear that. I started reading more about what had happened since 2013 and why. I thought that I had been lied to and that I was actually Ukrainian.

Since that year, conflicts with relatives on this topic began. I even saved pictures on social networks with the inscription “Crimea is Ukraine”. Then this idea took root, I started thinking about a trip to Ukraine. I wanted to go to Kherson, but there was no such opportunity.

I didn’t think that there would be anything for it. I still believed in freedom of speech [in Russia]. And even then, they didn’t really punish people for saving or reposting. Those were 2017-2018.

How did your conversations with your parents go? Did you come to them, say that you watched the video, heard something, think that Crimea is Ukraine, and ask for an explanation? Or what was it like?

We often gathered with relatives — aunts, uncles, mother. And they always discussed the authority, salaries, the standard of living in Russia. If they talked about what I heard from [Alexei] Navalny, I argued. If I presented my arguments, they often responded with phrases that were said on TV.

Has your family faced pressure, checks, searches?

No, there was nothing like that.

What about your friends? They also saw your reposts on social media. How did they feel about it?

I had two friends who had the same views as me. One of them is an online friend who is from Ukraine himself. The second — Renat — is a Crimean Tatar, and now, on the contrary, he has a more loyal position towards Russia than towards Ukraine. He says that if there was a chance to return Crimea to Ukraine, he would not want to.

I don’t know why he changed his mind. But he is the only friend who had a pro-Ukrainian position up to a certain point. The others simply didn’t care or they thought I was joking or wanted to be different from everyone else.

What kind of relationship did you have with your teachers?

There were no problems because of my position, but I didnʼt have great results either. When I changed schools, my class teacher even added me as a friend [on social media] and saw everything I reposted.

Were you not reported at school?

No. There would have been problems at school then too. I didnʼt do anything so loud. I just didnʼt hide that I was pro-Ukraine. And somewhere in 2020 I already started closing my pages on social networks.

Tell me about your typical day in Crimea. You are a teenager. There are school, home, parents, classmates, teachers, as a part of your daily life. What else happened? What did you do outside of school? What music did you listen to, what movies did you watch?

I listened mostly to Russian rap, something that was popular at the time. I also watched movies in Russian (not Russian, but simply dubbed ones, for example, “The Avengers”). There was a period when I specifically watched TV series in Ukrainian to learn Ukrainian, because I was planning to go to Kherson. It was 2021.

There was nothing special about the music. But, for example, I kept "Our Father Bandera" on the VKontakte music list. I just liked the way it sounded, purely for fun.

For a while I did kickboxing. I started when Ukraine was still in power, and I finished it when Russia was. Then I made videos about computer games. My hobbies were meeting people, talking, and walking. Just like an ordinary life.

After school, you went to college. Did you hide your position there?

I never hid it. Only recently I havenʼt written anything anywhere and deleted everything just in case. When I got to college, my interests changed, I didnʼt watch political videos much anymore. In college, the topic of Ukraine and Russia became relevant when the [big] war started.

At first I thought that my classmates would at least support Ukraine a little, but it turned out to be completely different. One classmate was definitely at the frontline, somewhere near Kherson. Another is thinking of signing a contract with the Russian Armed Forces.

In 2021, my classmate and I came to college wearing “Party of Regions” sweatshirts and saying “Glory to Ukraine”. I know it’s [Viktor] Yanukovych’s party, but in 2012 there was a lot of campaigning and they were giving away free things like sweatshirts, pens, packages, bags. That was all we had of Ukrainian symbolism.

In Crimea, no one is 100% sure whether it is okay to say something about Ukraine. One day they can say something like, "we have three official languages in Crimea: Tatar, Russian, and Ukrainian", and then fine you for singing Serdyuchkaʼs song in a club.

You said that one of your classmates joined the army and another is thinking about it. How do you feel about them?

We didn’t communicate with the first one who went to the front (just small-talks like “hello-goodbye”). He was a bit strange and kind of like a cattleman. We communicated better with the other one. When he turned 18, he was taken into the army. He didn’t protest, he didn’t care. He considers himself Russian and knows almost nothing about Ukraine.

He said he wanted to join FSB, then he started talking about signing a contract. I was surprised. He has known about my [pro-Ukrainian] position for a long time and has never been negative about it.

But his views on Russia and the war are simply different. And he does it not because he needs to defend his homeland, but simply because he needs money. I don’t support him, but I didn’t tell him “what the hell do you need it for”.

Do you keep in touch with him?

We recently talked. I told him that I was in Kyiv. At first he didnʼt believe me. I had to briefly explain how this was even possible. And then we just talked about other topics. He did his military service, then traveled around Russia a bit, and worked.

Being in Kyiv — how do you feel when communicating with people who want to go to war against you?

I have relatives in Zhytomyr, so I always thought that [the war] was “against us”. On the one hand, I understand that we have nothing in common anymore and never will. On the other hand, I can’t say something super negative directly, block it or send it, and for some reason I don’t want to.

After the annexation of Crimea, the term "Crimean Spring" became popular on the peninsula: they say, Crimea finally started to live better. How did you personally live under Russia?

For me, Crimea is not very cool. You can go to the sea, you can go to the mountains, but living there is not very cool, because GPS does not work, mobile Internet does not work either. Taxis do not work well, transport is also bad, prices are high, it is difficult to buy food. It is quite difficult to leave.

After 2022, the situation in Crimea became more complicated. Channels like "Crimean Smersh" appeared, calling for people to turn in their friends for their "anti-Russian" stance. Do you know of any situations where people were turned in like this?

I donʼt think there are many stories where someone is taken away or detained. People are very careful about what they say [to others]. There is a law on LGBT and the so-called SVO, you canʼt discredit the war and you canʼt support gays.

If a gay man goes to the front for Russia, you canʼt condemn him because heʼs a soldier, and you canʼt praise him because heʼs gay. There are many such absurd situations, and people simply donʼt understand what can be said and what canʼt.

For example, my Crimean Tatar friend Renat stopped supporting Ukraine after 2022. At first, he didn’t want anyone to get into his correspondence because mobilization had begun. His dad left for Georgia. And then he simply resigned himself to this idea and sided with Russia.

Did you feel that you might be turned in because of your insufficiently pro-Russian stance?

Yes. There were two guys I was friends with for a while. The first one now works in the police. And the second one is an ordinary guy. He went to the military department so that he wouldnʼt be taken for military service. Somehow they didnʼt share something between themselves.

I felt then that it wasnʼt very safe to take any position in this conflict. Because I voiced my pro-Ukrainian thoughts to both of them. I was very worried. But now Iʼm here.

Were you in Russia before 2025?

Yes, I had to leave in 2023, [because I] received a summons. I have been working officially since I was 17. There is nothing you can do there, if the employer gives it, you have to go.

I went to the military registration and enlistment office and started to prove that I had a deferment, and the summons was written out with errors. We had a fight with the military commissioner. He cursed me, threatened to send me somewhere to the Kherson region. He issued another summons, which I had to appear for the next day. So the next day I was already leaving for Russia.

For two years I traveled back and forth between Crimea and Russia, looking for options on how to leave Russia. And only recently did I find out that it was possible to get to Ukraine.

Did you leave alone or with your mother?

Alone, because why would she go? And my relatives donʼt see any problem with me going to serve in the army. I had a girlfriend who my mother didnʼt like. My mother thought that this girl would be worse for me than the Russian army.

In 2024, I returned to Crimea and accidentally saw her correspondence with her sister about the need to send me to the army. After that, the girl and I left for Russia together. Now we donʼt communicate, but we were together for a while.

Why did you return to Crimea if there was a direct risk that you would be drafted into the army?

I came for a day or two just to get my diploma. Somewhere in 2023, a precinct officer came to my mother and asked why I wasnʼt going to the military enlistment office. I asked my mother to say that she didnʼt know anything about me or that I had gone somewhere to the north of Russia. Thatʼs what she said.

After that, nothing like that happened. So in 2024, I came to Crimea again, my friend and I were doing our mini-business, but then my mother [decided] to send me to the army, and I left.

What did you do in Russia?

I worked remotely as a support operator at a bank. Over the years, I lived in three cities: Syktyvkar, St. Petersburg, and Moscow.

How was your life in Russia?

I didnʼt really like communicating with people. Russians are specific people. There are few people with whom you can communicate normally. There are those who think that war is evil.

But most people have nothing in life except to work, eat, and sleep. The last time before leaving for Ukraine, I felt really bad. I even went to a psychiatrist. Now Iʼm taking antidepressants.

You turned eighteen during the Great War. If your age allowed, you had a clear pro-Ukrainian position, why did you decide to leave only now?

I had planned to leave even before the [Great] War. First to Kherson, then to Kyiv. But for that I had to get documents. I couldnʼt do it because none of my relatives wanted to take me.

And then the [Great] War started. I didnʼt know that there was an option to leave through Belarus. I thought that I could only go through Europe. But because I only have a birth certificate among my Ukrainian documents, I couldnʼt go through Europe.

Tell me how you prepared for the departure. Who did you tell what to? What legend did you follow?

I looked at different options, even searched through artificial intelligence. And then I came across the chat "The Path to a Passport". There, people shared how to leave through the humanitarian corridor. I learned for the first time that such a corridor even exists.

Then I came across a person who wanted to leave Crimea. He gave me the contact of a volunteer named Dina, who helped me. At first, I planned to go in February, to save some money and prepare.

Then I thought that maybe it would be better to go in January, because in Russia, conscription begins on January 1. It got to the point that I left before the New Year. I just bought tickets to Moscow, then to Minsk, and from Minsk I went to Brest.

There was no special preparation. I had to figure out what to do with the phone. I changed it to another one and set it up as if I had been using it for a long time. Although there was no point in that. There weren’t many checks.

I also came up with a legend that I was going to visit relatives — to my grandmother in Zhytomyr. More or less, that’s how it was.

Did your family know you were going to Ukraine?

No, because there would be problems. Mom reacted very badly. If she found out, she would definitely cause problems.

Are you in touch with your family now?

We communicate a little. First of all, because my mother is worried. Iʼve been here for a month, but no matter what I tell her, no matter what I show her, she doesnʼt believe that Iʼm safe here. She still thinks that Ukraine is an artificially created country. I canʼt convince her of anything.

From the beginning of the [great] war, she believed that this was the defense of Donbas, that people asked for help and were being helped. Now I ask her what she thinks about the fact that we are being shelled on purpose in such cold weather.

She canʼt say that Iʼm lying, but for her, everything is still not so clear. Itʼs strange for me. But I canʼt stop talking to her. Although sheʼs been a zombie to me since childhood, everything was fine in all other matters. She loved me, so I try not to fight, to answer calmly.

How do you see your life in the coming year? Do you want to stay in Kyiv? What do you plan to do?

My planning horizon right now is 24 hours. I will definitely go to my relatives in Zhytomyr. We haven’t talked for a long time, they are very old, so we need to stop by. We also planned to go to Europe with new friends. We need to at least get our documents in order. I expected that there would be no support in Ukraine.

But in fact, everything is very cool. Housing, food, documents, health — everything is provided, there are no problems. I am used to Crimea, where even in peacetime many things do not work, and during war even more so.

Donʼt you regret being here?

No, because I finally have freedom, I can do what I want, go where I want. I can think about education or work, in general, do whatever I want. I have dreamed about Kyiv for a very long time. I watched videos, imagined how I would arrive. And now I am finally in Kyiv.