Russia is blackmailing the families of Ukrainian POWs

0:00Today on State of the World, how Russia blackmails the families of Ukrainian POWs. You're listening to State of the World from NPR, a human perspective on global events. I'm Greg Dixon. Russia is believed to be holding thousands of Ukrainians as prisoners of war, both soldiers and civilians. And for the families of these POWs, beyond the anguish of worrying about their loved ones, there's an additional torment. Russia has been contacting them on social media, demanding favors. NPR's Greg Myrie has been speaking with some of the families in Ukraine. Paulina is a middle-aged Ukrainian woman. She was devastated when Russian troops captured her hometown in 2022 and seized her ailing father, who's blind in one eye and walks with a cane.

0:52Then came another gut-wrenching blow. Russian authorities contacted her on social media and demanded she assist them to ensure that her father, who's now 71, was well treated. They pressured me for four months. They wanted me to gather some information about one of their attacks. Another time, she says the Russians sent her a video of her father telling her, look, he's okay, he's smiling, and you haven't done anything for us yet. They kind of pressured me like it's time to do something. She didn't help, and the Russians eventually stopped contacting her, but they accused her father of spying for Ukraine and have held him for nearly four years.

1:36Polina has moved to a new town under Ukrainian control. She asked that we use only her first name because she fears for her father's safety. The families are in a very vulnerable position. Petro Yatsenko is the Ukrainian government spokesman for the agency that deals with families of prisoners held by Russia. He says Russia exploits this vulnerability by withholding information in formal government channels. Instead, the Russians contact Ukrainian families directly. Russia never allows us to know all information about imprisoned people. He believes two Russian agencies, Military Intelligence and the Domestic Security Agency, the FSB, are running this highly orchestrated campaign.

2:21When the Russians capture a Ukrainian, a soldier, or a civilian, he says they look up the prisoner's social media profile and begin contacting family members. Russia often tells the relatives to check out security at key locations in their hometowns, or says they should join demonstrations against Ukraine's government. Yatsenko says most Ukrainians refuse and pass on the information to Ukrainian authorities. He offers a simple message to families on how to respond to the Russians. Our main three advices, very short but very strict, are don't believe, don't ask anything, and don't be afraid. Russia and Ukraine periodically exchange POWs.

3:07Nearly 10 ,000 Ukrainian troops have been freed and a similar number of Russians have been released, according to both sides. Neither side says how many prisoners are still being held. But the numbers are in the thousands, according to human rights groups and media reports. While both sides capture enemy soldiers, only Russia holds a large number of civilians and rarely releases them. Russia sometimes lets Ukrainian prisoners speak to their families, but Yatsenko says they're forced to deliver false messages that go like this. Russians treated me well, and they are ready to free us. But Ukrainian government does nothing.

3:51And that's why I'm still here. And please, mom or dear wife, go to protest to the street. And of course, it was not true. Many Ukrainian prisoners say upon their release that they were tortured in Russian captivity. Russia denies abusing prisoners and accuses Ukraine of mistreating Russian captives. Valentina Shcherbina says her 21-year-old son, a civilian, was seized by the Russians in 2022. She says the Russians accused him of spying. This past April, an unidentified Russian contacted her on social media and demanded$10 ,000. I was afraid to make things worse for my son. I was really scared, and I didn't know what to do.

4:38She called a Ukrainian policeman handling her son's case. The policeman checked around and came back to her with surprising news. Good news. Her son, Mikola, was about to be released. Apparently, the Russian was trying to extort money before her son was freed. Mikola is now home, one of the few civilians who's been released. He was beaten, and after that they made him stand. His legs were swollen. He stood for 21 days, resting only at night. He lost a lot of weight, but his mental state is OK. Meanwhile, Paulina, whose 71-year-old father is still in captivity, fears for his health. Whenever the two sides trade prisoners, she hopes he'll be freed.

5:24With every exchange, I'm waiting for him. Russia and Ukraine recently traded more than 200 prisoners. Her father was not among them. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Kiev.

5:47That's the State of the World from NPR. Thanks for listening.