Warning issued over Russian Telegram bot masquerading as help for missing Ukrainian soldiers

As reported by Ukrinform, this was announced on Facebook by the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

The bot’s operators request full personal details, including surname, first and patronymic names, date of birth, photo, military unit name, and circumstances of the soldier’s disappearance.

In reality, this is not an aid tool, but a method of collecting sensitive information, which may later be used against the soldiers themselves or their families, for pressure, blackmail, or disinformation purposes.

The CCD urges the public not to engage with such bots under any circumstances and to report them to the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and Cyber Police.

Those seeking information about relatives who may be in Russian captivity should instead contact the official Ukrainian authorities that handle such cases.

The CCD also reminded that Russian intelligence agencies have been attempting to discredit Ukraine by blackmailing relatives of Ukrainian POWs.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, Russian propagandists have sent fake letters to Ukrainian government institutions, supposedly signed by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, regarding a fabricated “evacuation plan of ministries and state agencies to western Ukraine.”