Russia's Desperate Gambit: Using POW Families as Leverage Russia has exposed its latest tactic in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine: using social media to contact the families of Ukrainian prisoners of war and demanding favors in exchange for their safe return.
This is a low blow, even by Russian military standards. The approach isn't entirely new; it echoes the case of Paul Whelan, an American citizen arrested by Russia in 2018 on espionage charges.
His family was subjected to public pressure, including social media campaigns, in an attempt to extract concessions from Washington.