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Olena Mukhina


Ukraine’s spy agency seeks for sleeper agents among freed prisoners as Russia tries to brainwash and recruit them

Ukrainian counterintelligence officers analyze every returning prisoner, knowing Russian FSB agents spent months in torture chambers attempting psychological manipulation.
ukraine swaps 103 pows including 23 azovstal defenders azov brigade ukrainian swapped 14 september 2024 telegram/zelenskiy official 855998c4-b064-440d-93d3-9112a2cdb9e7
Ukrainian POWs swapped on 14 September 2024. Photo: Telegram/Zelenskiy Official.
Ukraine’s spy agency seeks for sleeper agents among freed prisoners as Russia tries to brainwash and recruit them

Even in captivity, the enemy looks for cracks. Every Ukrainian released from Russian detention undergoes a screening by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) as Moscow may try to recruit them, according to Andrii Yusov, Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Ukrinform reports.

As of May 2025, Russia holds an estimated 8,000 Ukrainian soldiers in captivity. Additionally, around 60,000 Ukrainians are considered missing, many of whom may also be detained in Russian prisons. Released Ukrainian prisoners report widespread torture and inhumane treatment in Russian custody.

According to him, no saboteurs have been found among the former prisoners.

“Infiltrating a saboteur this way would be extremely difficult or senseless for the Russian intelligence services,” he says.

At the same time, Russian agencies did try to work with every prisoner: “In one way or another, they tried to manipulate them, sometimes even pressure their families. That’s why the state checks everything,” Yusov adds.

Counterintelligence analyzes the conditions of captivity, the prisoner’s behavior, and any possible contacts with the FSB. If evidence of collaboration is found, “procedural actions are taken in accordance with Ukrainian law.”

“Undoubtedly, none of this is overlooked,” Yusov emphasizes.

Earlier, Kyiv and Moscow agreed on the largest exchange of fallen soldiers since the full-scale war began in the latest meeting in Istanbul. This includes exchanging 6,000 bodies of fallen soldiers for the same number from the Russian side.