“Mothers’ Shield”: How Russian Special Services Use Relatives of Prisoners of War

The pseudo-volunteer Russian organization “Mothers’ Shield,” linked to the FSB, uses Ukrainian prisoners of war to influence their relatives.

This is stated in an investigation by “Toronto Television.”

“Mothers’ Shield” is not officially registered in Russia as a public organization but operates under the guise of a “volunteer association.”

To search for information about prisoners of war, the organization requires relatives to provide personal data, including their name and surname, year of birth, date of last contact, unit number, area of service and a photo.

After that, the “volunteers” collect information about the relatives themselves — they ask about their relationship to the prisoner of war, where they live and who else they have contacted for assistance.

The organization also receives similar data directly from prisoners of war, allowing its representatives to call or contact their relatives.

According to journalists, citing the experiences of people targeted by such influence operations, the organization initially provides photos and videos of prisoners of war and sometimes even arranges the possibility of communication with them.

Later, in exchange for these “services,” relatives are pressured to carry out illegal activities — act as couriers, provide facility coordinates or perform other tasks that may result in their arrest.

Relatives are also promised “assistance” with the release of the prisoner of war, but in reality this does not serve the interests of the organization.

Instead, Russian representatives constantly remind relatives of the need to fulfill the demands in order to maintain leverage over them for as long as possible.

One indication that “Mothers’ Shield” is controlled by Russian special services is the organization’s unprecedented access to places of detention for prisoners of war, which even international organizations, including the Red Cross, do not have.

The only correct course of action for relatives of prisoners of war is to contact Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.