Every prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia brings a new wave of scammers targeting families who are still waiting for their loved ones. They promise to speed up a release, reveal the date of the next swap or “guarantee” someone’s return — and ask for money in return.
The warning comes from Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the state body that handles the identification and return of Ukrainians held by Russia. It followed the exchange of 23 October 2026, when 270 Ukrainians — 261 service members and nine civilians — came home from Russian captivity.
How the scam works
The fraudsters call, text through messaging apps or write on social media. They pose as intermediaries or as people supposedly involved in the negotiations, counting on the fact that families are desperate and ready to believe any hope.
No intermediaries, “influential acquaintances” or third parties have the authority to influence the release and return of Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Any promise of such a return for money is a sign of fraud.
— Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War
The tactics change, but the goal stays the same. The headquarters has previously warned about fake “database extracts” and “official bank accounts” offered to put a name on an exchange list, as LIGA.net reported, and about fake social media profiles of “freed soldiers” offering news of relatives in captivity, according to hromadske. Money is not the only risk: the headquarters has stressed that information handed to scammers may end up with the enemy.
How families are really informed
Relatives learn about a release only after the person’s identity has been verified, through a personal message from official representatives of the headquarters. All its consultations, as well as legal and psychological support, are free of charge.
What to do if you are contacted
- Do not pay and do not share personal data, card numbers or details about your relatives.
- Save the phone number, account or message.
- Report it to the police and to the Coordination Headquarters hotline: 0 800 300 529 (free within Ukraine).
Photo: Ukrainians returning home from Russian captivity during the prisoner exchange of 23 May 2025. Office of the President of Ukraine / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
