Nathan Stobbart moved from Newcastle to Russia on Christmas Day 2024 to build a life with Ksenia, whom he had met online. They married, had a son and were also raising Ksenia’s three children from a previous relationship. Moving the whole family to Britain was considered unaffordable, his mother, Valerie Stobbart, said.
Stobbart told his family he was working as an electrical contractor, but joined the Russian army in April 2025 without telling them. Valerie said Russian authorities warned that he could be denied permission to remain in the country and deported unless he signed a one-year military contract.
Stobbart’s voice was last heard on a military radio about a week before his wife’s message. A Russian military document recorded him as missing in action on 12 December 2025, and no body has been found.
Valerie continues to search online and watches announcements about exchanges of bodies between Russia and Ukraine. She has not seen Stobbart’s name in those reports and says she still hopes he may be alive, including as a prisoner. Her search also led to the loss of her Home Office job after she contacted a journalist for help; the department declined to comment on her individual employment case.
Stobbart is one of several British nationals reported to have fought for Russian forces. Ben Stimson and Aiden Minnis received Russian citizenship after fighting in the occupied Donbas region, while Bradley Townsend was reported killed in Ukraine in June. Valerie says her son’s circumstances were different because he moved to Russia to live with his family rather than intending to fight.