Russia preparing disinformation campaign involving Ukrainian prisoners of war
Photo: Russian prisoners of war (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russia is preparing a new information campaign focused on prisoners of war, seeking to convince Western audiences that Ukrainian captives are allegedly treated better in Russian custody, according to Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation.
The prepared materials are expected to be distributed to Western audiences in an effort to create a favorable image of how Ukrainian POWs are treated in Russian captivity.
Russia also plans to use Russians who have returned from Ukrainian captivity. They may be involved in spreading false claims about allegedly poor detention conditions in Ukraine.
"Propaganda and lies remain tools of war and discreditation," Kovalenko said.
At the same time, Ukraine has repeatedly made public the conditions in which Russian POWs are held, including their food and living arrangements. Despite this, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation said Russia will continue trying to spread false information and distort the reality of the situation.
Earlier, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that Russian soldiers exchanged in prisoner swaps are increasingly surrendering to Ukrainian forces again. As of late July, 20 such cases had been recorded.
The headquarters said some of them consciously choose captivity over returning to combat. Each such soldier adds to Ukraine's exchange pool and increases the chances of bringing Ukrainian defenders home.
