Mariupol Volunteer Safe After Risking Everything to Save Son Allegedly Threatened by Russia’s FSB

Ukrainian volunteer Mykhailo Puryshev, whose red minibus became a symbol of civilian evacuations from besieged Mariupol in 2022, says he is safe after a trip to Moscow prompted by alleged threats from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) against his son. Puryshev, a well-known volunteer and former serviceman, published a video on Aug. 19 saying he was no longer in Russia after several days of silence that sparked concern among supporters and human rights activists. He declined to reveal details of what happened in Moscow or how he managed to leave the country.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “As I record this video, I am safe. I am no longer on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Puryshev said in the message, thanking those who publicized his story and tried to help. The volunteer’s ordeal began weeks earlier when, according to Puryshev, FSB officers contacted him through the phone of his 18-year-old son, who lives in Russia with Puryshev’s former wife. The volunteer said Russian agents demanded information about Ukrainian military positions and threatened to draft his son into the Russian army or kill him if he refused to cooperate. Faced with what he described as an impossible choice, Puryshev said he rejected cooperation with Russian intelligence and instead traveled to Moscow on Aug. 17 in an attempt to save his son. He arrived via Istanbul and then disappeared from public view, fueling fears that he had been detained. Other Topics of Interest Russia Unleashes 135 Drones on Ukraine, Killing 2 in Kharkiv Region and Injuring 6 in Sumy Russia sent 135 drones over Ukraine overnight, with strikes damaging homes in Sumy and killing two women in Kharkiv region. Puryshev’s team later confirmed that he had personally recorded the video announcing his safety, but no information has been released about the fate of his son. Human rights organizations and Ukrainian officials have not publicly commented on the case. Puryshev became widely known during Russia’s siege of Mariupol in 2022, when he repeatedly entered the encircled city to evacuate civilians and deliver humanitarian aid. During one of those missions, he was detained by Russian forces, beaten, interrogated, and twice taken to what he later described as mock executions before being released. After escaping Mariupol, Puryshev continued volunteer work across frontline communities, helping evacuate civilians and establish emergency aid centers known as “Points of Invincibility.” Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.