Russians use relatives of captured and missing soldiers to gather intelligence and carry out special tasks
Russian special services are actively hunting down the families of captured and missing Ukrainian military personnel.
This warning comes from representatives of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, according to Censor.NET, citing Glavkom.
In particular, Russian agents posing as sympathetic individuals are using relatives to gather intelligence and conduct PSYOPs.
The Russians are requesting information about units, weapons, and problems on the front lines. Moreover, while initial communication may be polite, it later turns into brutal blackmail: relatives are required to photograph objects or perform other tasks in exchange for promises to ease the conditions of detention or provide information about the prisoner's whereabouts. Manipulation and psychological pressure drive people to emotional crisis, forcing them to spread narratives that are beneficial to the Russians which discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
