Kathrine Frich
Relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war say they are being pressured in a new and disturbing way.
Authorities warn that the emotional toll of war is being exploited for military gain.
Russia has attempted to blackmail families of Ukrainian POWs into registering Starlink satellite terminals in their own names, according to Ukraine’s Coordination Staff for the Treatment of POWs, the state body overseeing issues related to captured soldiers.
Starlink pressure
The agency said relatives of soldiers held in Russian captivity were threatened and urged to formally register Russian-controlled Starlink terminals. The equipment could then be used in combat operations against Ukraine.
“Finding themselves in a difficult situation, Russian military officials have turned their attention to the most vulnerable group; the families of POWs. There have been recorded cases of threats and demands to register Starlink terminals, which could then be used to attack Ukraine,” the statement reads.
Officials say the tactic relies on manipulating families desperate for news, sometimes promising information about a captive’s fate in exchange for cooperation.
White list move
The allegations follow Kyiv’s recent decision to introduce a so-called “white list” system for Starlink devices.
Only officially registered terminals are now allowed to operate in Ukraine, with others to be disconnected.
In January, reports emerged that Russian forces had begun integrating Starlink terminals into combat drones.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov later confirmed the development and said the government had contacted SpaceX.
On February 1, Elon Musk said SpaceX’s steps to block Russian access to Starlink “had worked.” Fedorov said the measures “are already yielding real results.”
Families exploited
Ukraine’s Coordination Staff also warned that intelligence services and scammers are posing as volunteers or intermediaries, seeking personal data, documents and photographs from families.
Natalia, the wife of a missing soldier from the Lviv region, described receiving calls demanding money in exchange for alleged contact with her husband.
“When they call you and tell you your husband is seriously injured, in a colony somewhere in Russia, and there’s a chance to talk to him or even see him, you’re desperate to hand over any amount of money. They demand significant sums, a thousand, two thousand dollars. They called me too. At first, I believed them, but then I started telling them I’d report the matter to the police and the relevant authorities. After that, contact stopped immediately,” she said.
She added that artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to fabricate images of supposed prisoners.
“I was also sent a photo of my husband. He was bald, and there was some kind of prison landscape in the background. At first, I was speechless. My mother started crying; she was convinced it was a real photo. I couldn’t get myself together. Only later did a friend say, ‘Look closer – it’s a fake, it looks like a photo of Dmytro you can find online.’ I did see the resemblance. But that glimmer of hope had already appeared,” Natalia said.
Kyiv says around 8,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 2,000 civilians are confirmed to be held in Russia as of May 2025, though actual numbers may be higher.
Sources: Super Express.
