Russia continues disinfo campaign against prisoner exchange process – CCD

Russia continues its information campaign to discredit the prisoner exchange process, actively spreading false statements through its officials and propagandists.

According to the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine, the head of the Russian negotiating delegation in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, stated that the third prisoner exchange is being delayed due to the alleged "refusal of Ukraine to take back a thousand of its prisoners of war." He also accused Ukraine of a "selective approach to the exchange."

"These statements are not true. As previously reported, Ukraine insists on the principle of "all for all" in the prisoner exchange, and each case of delay is part of a deliberate Russian campaign to manipulate public opinion and reduce trust in Ukrainian state institutions," the Center said, adding that Ukraine is consistently working to return each of its citizens from captivity.

CCD said Russia actively employs such falsehoods, for example, the distribution of a fake "appeal" on behalf of Ukrainian prisoners of war, which talks about "exclusion of persons from exchange lists." This is another example of disinformation aimed at discrediting exchange mechanisms.