POW swaps: Russia uses fake news to destabilize Ukraine through protests
Photo: Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets (facebook.com/dmytro.lubinets)
Russia is spreading mass disinformation, claiming that Ukraine is allegedly unwilling to bring back its prisoners of war and civilians. The goal is to discredit the efforts of Ukrainian authorities and destabilize the internal situation, according to the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets.
According to Lubinets, Russia is using its propaganda platforms to spread mass disinformation, claiming that Ukraine is allegedly "unwilling to bring back its prisoners of war and civilians." Some Ukrainian Telegram channels, whether knowingly or not, are also picking up and amplifying this false narrative, further distorting the informational landscape.
In addition, Russia is artificially inciting protest sentiment, using emotional pressure and manipulation. During mass gatherings, the enemy may deliberately provoke confrontations with law enforcement officers. Russia would then exploit these incidents to distort the overall information picture.
"In wartime conditions, this can have extremely negative consequences. It directly supports the enemy’s main goal — to destroy our unity," the Ombudsman stressed.
He urged the families of prisoners of war and missing persons to trust only the information provided by official Ukrainian government agencies. He also encouraged participation only in events organized by legitimate actors, which cannot be exploited by hostile intelligence services for their own purposes.
Lubinets called on people to refrain from participating in any other public gatherings while this information-psychological operation (IPSO) is underway.
If you receive suspicious messages calling for protests or if unknown individuals try to contact you, report it immediately to law enforcement or the Security Service of Ukraine.
"I want to emphasize that we must all remain united in our fight against the enemy. Ukraine is working to secure the release of every single person held in captivity. We share a common goal — to avoid jeopardizing the exchange process. Russia may try to interfere, but only by staying united can we prevent that from happening!" Lubinets concluded.
Disinformation about prisoner exchanges
Recently, the head of the Russian delegation at negotiations, Vladimir Medinsky, claimed that a third large-scale prisoner exchange had not taken place allegedly because "Ukraine refused to accept 1,000 prisoners."
In addition, a fake statement supposedly from Ukrainian prisoners of war began circulating online, alleging that "certain individuals had been removed from the exchange lists."
The Center for Countering Disinformation (TsPD) debunked yet another Russian fake, stating that this is part of Russia’s ongoing campaign to discredit prisoner exchanges.
"This information is false. Ukraine insists on exchanges based on the all for all principle. Russia, on the other hand, is trying to discredit the process and avoid this format of exchange," the Center emphasized.
