„There are two options. The first – I cooperate with the FSB, they help my son, they don’t touch him, he is fine. But in that case, I betray my country and my children. The second option – I do not cooperate with them, and they will simply kill my son,“ said M. Puryševas in a video posted on social networks.
The volunteer, originally from occupied Mariupol, has four children in total. Two from a previous marriage live in Russia, and two more in Ukraine.
„I decided that there is a third option. Just go there. When I am with them, they can do whatever they want with me. But my son will stay alive,“ he said.
In a video posted on social networks, M. Puryševas recorded what he claimed was a conversation with a Russian agent. The agent called from his son’s phone and threatened to draft the young man into the Russian army if the volunteer did not cooperate.
Read more Predicted rainy but quite warm weather
„You must prevent your child from joining the (Russian) army. Just imagine the situation: the guys you are helping now will one day be on the other side of the front and stand in the trenches against your son,“ said the alleged FSB agent in the video.
Later, M. Puryševas posted a second video with the caption: „I came to Russia because of my son.“
M. Puryševas became famous for evacuating Ukrainian civilians from heavily shelled Mariupol in the first months of Russia’s war against Ukraine. He continues to volunteer in Ukrainian front-line communities.
Read more Nausėda: I am forced to coordinate vacation with work
