How Russian special services manipulate families of Ukrainian prisoners of war
I've read several stories about captivity.
A woman whose husband is in captivity confessed: I got a call from there. She spoke with her husband – he is alive. To secure his release, they demanded that she "turn in" critical objects, photograph military equipment, etc. She lives near a major railway hub. But her husband seemed to warn her – he repeated three times: I'm fine, don't worry. She says the urge to cooperate passed, but it was there...
The war has been going on for three years. No fewer than 8,000 Ukrainians, including soldiers, are in captivity in Russia. It's hard to imagine the state of families desperate to free their loved ones from Russian torture. Russia is slow to exchange prisoners, playing on nerves to exploit the state of the exhausted and disappointed by the long wait.
Russian propaganda and special services actively manipulate the emotions of the relatives of prisoners of war, using them for their own purposes. They evaluate prisoners based on several criteria: place of service, position, rank, and whether they have public figures or high-ranking officials among their relatives or acquaintances.
Another important factor is the publicity of the captivity itself. If a prisoner is considered "promising," pressure is exerted on their relatives: from "encouragements" to direct threats.
Currently, there are numerous known cases where representatives of Russian special services contacted the families of prisoners of war and demanded that they take actions aimed at destabilizing Ukrainian society.
Enemy agents also try to infiltrate communities of defenders' families who participate in rallies and actions in support of prisoners to provoke discord and incite radical actions. Ukraine's Defense Intelligence also confirms this.
Moreover, unknown individuals call the relatives of prisoners of war, trying to force them to cooperate. This involves providing intelligence information, disabling civilian infrastructure, and sometimes even terrorist activities. In exchange, they promise relief for the prisoners or threaten them.
There has also been an increase in cases where prisoners are allowed to call their relatives. The main message of such conversations is to sow despair and panic: supposedly, "Ukraine has lost," "no one is waiting," "everyone has forgotten." The main thing in such a situation is to understand that the very fact of the call means that your loved one is alive.
The enemy also seeks to obtain personal information about the relatives of prisoners of war. For this purpose, special Telegram channels have been created, and "officials" of the so-called 'L\DPR' call for such data to be transmitted to them.
What conclusions should we draw based on the data from Ukrainian intelligence? Any information provided to the enemy will inevitably be used against Ukraine. It will not help the relatives in any way but will only complicate the situation.
If the Russian special services sense a willingness to cooperate, they will only intensify the pressure and increase their demands. In such cases, the chances of release from captivity sharply decrease.
Therefore, all issues related to the return of Ukrainians from captivity should be resolved exclusively through specialists of the Coordination Headquarters.
Currently, Ukraine has enough "exchange fund" to conduct large-scale exchanges, and the main goal is the format of "all for all." Therefore, it is important to maintain information hygiene, avoid cooperation with the enemy, and trust only official structures.
Otherwise, one can fall victim to deception and fraud, as scammers often exploit the plight of the families of prisoners of war, aiming to extort money. Let's remember this.