Russia's FSB Allegedly Tried to Blackmail Ukrainian Volunteer Through His Son

Mykhailo Puryshev, a Ukrainian volunteer widely known for repeated trips into besieged Mariupol to evacuate families, flew to Moscow on 17 August 2026 of his own accord, saying he did so under pressure from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

Shortly before his departure, the outlet Ukrainska Pravda spoke with Puryshev and some of his friends. By the time of the conversation, he had already left Russia and was in Poland.

A call from his son

According to Puryshev, in the middle of summer 2026 he was nearing the end of his military service in Ukraine's army and finishing related paperwork when he received a call on Telegram from his son Oleksandr, whom he had not seen in more than four years. Now an adult, Oleksandr sounded frightened and said people were with him who wanted to speak to his father.

Puryshev ended the call and began recording on a second phone when a Russian-speaking man called back from his son's number. The caller identified himself as representing Russia's security service and suggested Puryshev cooperate, hinting that his son could otherwise end up fighting against the people Puryshev has been helping.

Journey to Moscow

Puryshev says it was this perceived threat to his son that led him to agree to travel to Russia's capital. He subsequently left Russia and reached Poland, where he gave his account to journalists. The source report does not detail what happened during his time in Moscow or the current situation involving his son.