According to her, Nikolai is from Lugansk, worked in a mine, and in February 2022, before the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) became part of Russia in the fall, he ended up in the ranks of the republic's military, and later became a serviceman of the Russian Armed Forces. Nikolai also retained his Ukrainian passport.
Valentina said she received a call on October 15, according to her, it was Nikolai, who immediately said that his Ukrainian passport needed to be found.
In an attempt to find out what they were demanding money for, Valentina learned that it was “for the killed Ukrainian soldiers,” for the quadcopter that her son shot down, and for the fact that those who took him prisoner allegedly “drove him around hospitals” all night.