‘I wanted to live’: A Ukrainian orphan’s journey through Russian occupation

Kyiv, Ukraine – When the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Denys Kostev was 18 and living in an orphanage in Kherson. Appalled by the war, he used to film social media videos decrying the invading Russian forces. But he was soon forcibly transferred to occupied Crimea, and his rhetoric suddenly went in the other direction.

Recommended Stories list of 4 items- list 1 of 4At least 10 people killed in Russian and Ukrainian attacks - list 2 of 4Lavrov: Russia’s war in Ukraine will continue ‘through to the end’ - list 3 of 4Russia scales up strikes on Ukraine as largest steelmaker halts operations - list 4 of 4Russian strikes kill eight, injure dozens across Ukraine Now in Kyiv four years later, Kostev told one outlet he played the role of a poster child for wartime Russia just to survive. Sprightly, eloquent and photogenic, he used to attend a theatre club at his orphanage in the southern Ukrainian city, where he lived after his mother’s incarceration and death.