Russian authorities are conducting a systematic campaign targeting relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war held in captivity, according to Ukrainian government officials and accounts from affected families. The tactics involve contacting family members through social media platforms after capturing soldiers and civilians, then leveraging the relatives’ desire for information about their loved ones to coerce cooperation.
Petro Yatsenko, a Ukrainian government spokesman overseeing matters related to prisoners held by Russia, stated that Russian military intelligence and the domestic security agency orchestrate these operations. When Russians capture Ukrainians, they access their social media profiles and initiate direct contact with family members. The demands typically include gathering security information about key locations, monitoring military installations, or organizing protests against Ukraine’s government. Yatsenko indicated that most Ukrainians refuse these requests and report them to authorities.
One documented case involves a woman identified as Polina, whose elderly father was captured in 2022. Russian officials contacted her for four months, pressuring her to gather information about their military operations while simultaneously sending videos of her father to demonstrate his wellbeing and reinforce their leverage. Despite the psychological pressure, Polina declined to assist. Her father remains in Russian custody nearly four years after his capture.
According to UN human rights documentation from 2024, Ukrainian prisoners have reported widespread torture and mistreatment in Russian facilities, with nearly all of 174 interviewed POWs since March 2023 describing abuse including beatings, electric shocks, and sexual violence. However, the report found that torture largely ceased when prisoners reached official internment facilities in Ukraine, where conditions generally met international standards.
Ukraine and Russia have exchanged approximately 10,000 prisoners each over the conflict’s duration, though both nations maintain large numbers of captives. Ukrainian officials recommend families ignore Russian demands, stating: “Don’t believe. Don’t ask anything. And don’t be afraid.”
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