Ukrainian volunteer flew to Moscow to save son from FSB blackmail

Mykhailo Puryshev, a Ukrainian volunteer widely known for repeatedly entering besieged Mariupol to evacuate civilians, flew to Moscow on 17 August 2026 of his own accord. He told Ukrainska Pravda that he made the decision after Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) began blackmailing him, threatening to conscript his 18-year-old son Oleksandr into the Russian army unless Puryshev agreed to cooperate.

Puryshev had not seen his son in over four years after his ex-wife relocated with their children to Pskov, Russia, following their divorce. On 16 July 2026, Oleksandr called him, saying unknown people wanted to speak with his father. A man then called from the son's phone, identifying himself as representing Russia's security services and offering "friendship" in exchange for information about foreign personnel in Ukraine's defence forces and unit locations, showing particular interest in the Azov unit.

Five calls and an ultimatum

Over five calls, the caller shifted from overt threats to a more casual tone, asking about Puryshev's health and personal life while pressing him to resume his volunteer work and social media activity to avoid suspicion. Since Puryshev was awaiting discharge paperwork from military service at the time, he used the bureaucratic delay as a cover story. The last call took place on 3 August, after which contact continued only via text messages.

Puryshev tried several times to get his son out of Russia through relatives and acquaintances, but the plans failed, partly because Oleksandr feared upsetting his mother. Unwilling to put other people's lives at risk to extract his son, Puryshev decided to travel to Russia himself, flying via Poland and Türkiye before purchasing a ticket to Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, expecting to be detained at passport control.

Before the flight, he left behind a video explaining his decision, saying that decent parents would go to any lengths, regardless of borders, to save their children. Before this ordeal, Puryshev had been one of the few volunteers able to enter occupied Mariupol in 2022 to evacuate residents, later also assisting evacuations from Kherson.