Russia is preparing a campaign about prisoners for Western audiences

Russia is preparing a new disinformation campaign on the topic of prisoners of war, partly targeting Western audiences.

This was reported by Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation.

According to him, the Russian side intends to create the impression that Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia are treated better than Russian prisoners in Ukraine. Kovalenko asserts that resources have been allocated for the preparation of relevant media materials.

The head of the CCD also stated that some Ukrainian prisoners are being moved to more comfortable conditions for filming propaganda pieces. These materials are planned to be distributed primarily among Western audiences. There is no independent confirmation of such relocations yet.

Another element of the campaign, according to Kovalenko, is to be statements from Russian military personnel who returned after exchanges. Russia intends to use them to spread claims about the conditions of detention in Ukrainian captivity.

The Center for Countering Disinformation has previously identified Russian information campaigns around exchanges and the holding of prisoners of war, including attempts to accuse Ukraine of reluctance to return its servicemen.