Russia has intensified its disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the prisoner exchange process, using statements from its officials and propaganda narratives, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (CCD).
In particular, the head of the Russian negotiating delegation in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, claimed that the third prisoner exchange, agreed upon in Turkey, is allegedly being delayed due to “Ukraine’s refusal to take back a thousand of its prisoners of war.” He also accused Kyiv of a “selective approach” to the exchange process.
In addition, a fake “statement” allegedly on behalf of Ukrainian prisoners of war appeared online, claiming that certain individuals were “excluded from the exchange lists.”
The CCD states that these claims are false. As previously reported, Ukraine continues to insist on the “all for all” principle in the exchange of prisoners, and each case of delay is part of Russia’s deliberate campaign to manipulate public opinion and undermine trust in Ukrainian state institutions.
The first two Istanbul meetings in May and June marked the first formal peace talks between the two sides in over three years.
Despite deep divisions on core political and territorial issues, the parties agreed to a large-scale “1,000-for-1,000” prisoner exchange as a humanitarian gesture. The ongoing swaps are being implemented in phases.
Officials from Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), the Presidential Office, and the Foreign Ministry are participating in the coordination of these returns.
So far, the prisoner exchanges remain one of the few tangible outcomes of the Istanbul-format peace process.