Kenneth Glad
A man known for helping civilians leave Mariupol in 2022, says Russian security officials tried to force his cooperation. The central allegation has not been independently verified.
Ukrainian volunteer Mykhailo Puryshev says he traveled to Russia after concluding that going there himself was the only way to protect his son from an alleged threat by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB.
Puryshev announced his arrival in a video posted online, according to The Kyiv Independent. He had previously accused an alleged Russian operative of threatening to have his son conscripted unless he cooperated.
Recording details alleged threat
Puryshev published footage in which he said a caller using his son’s phone presented military service as the consequence of refusing cooperation.
“You need to prevent your child from joining the (Russian) army. Just imagine… that the guys you are helping now, at one point, will be standing on the opposite side of your son in a trench,” the alleged operative said, according to The Kyiv Independent.
Puryshev said the demand left him choosing between assisting the FSB and risking his son’s safety. He ultimately described another option: traveling to Russia himself.
“I decided that there is a third option for me. It’s just to go there. When I am with them, they can do anything (to me). But my son will live,” he said.
Mariupol work brought attention
Puryshev comes from Mariupol, the Ukrainian port city seized by Russian forces in 2022 following a devastating siege.
His family is divided between the two countries. According to Ukrainian outlet, two of his four children live in Russia following an earlier marriage, while two remain in Ukraine.
Puryshev became known internationally for his civilian evacuation efforts during the battle for Mariupol. Reuters reported in April 2022 that he repeatedly drove into the city in a damaged red van and evacuated about 200 people.
He later continued humanitarian work in settlements near the front. His recent videos represent his own account of the events that led him to enter Russia.
Sources: The Kyiv Independent, Reuters
