Russia is continuing its disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the prisoner exchange process by actively spreading false narratives through its officials and propagandists.

Source : Centre for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine

Details : The Centre cited recent remarks made by Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation in the Istanbul talks, who claimed that the third round of the prisoner exchange, which was part of the Istanbul agreements, was being delayed due to Ukraine supposedly refusing to accept 1,000 of its prisoners of war. Medinsky also accused Ukraine of a "selective approach" to the exchange.

The Centre refuted these statements, saying they were untrue. It reiterated that Ukraine remains committed to the all-for-all format in POW exchanges and that Russia deliberately exploits any delays to manipulate public opinion and undermine trust in Ukrainian state institutions.

Previously : The Centre had reported that Russia was actively spreading disinformation, including fake messages supposedly from Ukrainian POWs claiming that certain individuals had been removed from exchange lists.

Background : 

• Following the third round of talks in Istanbul, leaders of both Ukrainian and Russian delegations announced an agreement to exchange over 1,200 prisoners from each side. On 3 August, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that work on the exchange lists was ongoing after a meeting with National Security and Defence Council Secretary Rustem Umierov.
• Major Andrii Yusov, a representative of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters, explained that the complexity and scale of the all-for-all exchange – which was agreed upon during the second round of Istanbul talks on 2 June – required treating it as a separate case that would take time to implement.
• The Coordination Headquarters has so far declined to comment on the details of the arrangements reached during the third round of talks on 23 July.

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