State of the World from NPR

Russia is blackmailing the families of Ukrainian POWs

State of the World from NPR

Show Notes

Russia is believed to be holding thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians as prisoners of war. In addition, Russia is tormenting the families of these prisoners by contacting them on social media and demanding favors. We hear from some of these family members.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

More from State of the World from NPR

Oct 22, 2026

Chinese manufacturers have not had it easy these past few years, with U.S. tariffs as well as the wars in Ukraine and Iran pushing up their costs and shrinking profits.

Oct 21, 2026

In the Israeli occupied West Bank, dozens of Americans have been detained, including a politician running for Congress.

Oct 20, 2026

Sometimes it feels like when we aren’t worried about AI destroying humanity — we worry about it replacing white collar jobs like lawyers, accountants, coders. But tech companies have plans for AI-powered robots to replace blue collar jobs as well.

Oct 19, 2026

Israel holds an election on October 27th, electing members of the Knesset, their parliament. And this election will decide the future of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Oct 16, 2026

Ukraine finds itself in a difficult situation. It has endured increased airstrikes from Russia, especially in the capital Kyiv.

See all episodes →