--- title: "«Never Refused»: Ukraine Exposes New Russian Information Campaign on POWs" description: "🇺🇦 Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets exposed a new information attack by the Russian Federation. Moscow accuses Kyiv of refusing to take back prisoners, but Ukraine is ready to exchange all citizens. Russia artificially delays coordination, ignoring requests. Meanwhile, Russian sources accuse Ukraine of disrupting exchanges for PR purposes. 📉 An increase in cases of re-capture of Russian soldiers is being recorded." date: 2026-08-12T14:46:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-exposes-new-russian-information-campaign-on-pows tags: [ukraine-war, prisoners-exchange, dmytro-lubinets, russia-propaganda, human-rights] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # «Never Refused»: Ukraine Exposes New Russian Information Campaign on POWs ![A Ukrainian prisoner of war wrapped in the Ukrainian flag holds a bag of belongings, with a group of people and journalists documenting the event in the background](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/12/ukraina-razoblichila-informatsionnuyu-kampaniyu-rf-po-plennym/ukraina-razoblichila-informatsionnuyu-kampaniyu-rf-po-plennym-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Dmytro Lubinets refuted Russia's accusations that Ukraine is refusing its prisoners of war. - Russia uses artificial delays in coordination as a tool of pressure. - Russian sources accuse Ukraine of prioritizing PR over human lives. - Cases of re-capture of Russian soldiers after exchanges have been recorded. On August 12, 2026, Dmytro Lubinets, the Ombudsman of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights, sharply criticized the actions of the Russian side regarding the exchange of prisoners of war during a press conference at the Ukrinform agency. According to him, Moscow has launched a large-scale media campaign aimed at discrediting Ukraine on the international stage and creating a false impression that Kyiv is allegedly "refusing" its citizens held in captivity. ### Manipulation Mechanism: Lists and Delays The Ombudsman described in detail the scheme of action of Russian representatives. They publish lists of prisoners whom, according to their version, Ukraine does not want to take back. However, as Lubinets emphasized, the Ukrainian side has never refused to take back any prisoner of war, civilian hostage, or child. "We are ready to take back absolutely everyone that Russia is willing to hand over," he stated. As soon as such lists appear, Kyiv immediately sends official requests and confirms its readiness for an operational exchange. Instead of real cooperation, the Russian side initiates lengthy coordination procedures, artificially delaying the process. Lubinets noted that such tactics are aimed at playing on the emotions of the families of the missing, for whom captivity remains a daily tragedy without answers to the main questions: where their loved ones are and what is happening to them. ### Contradictory Data While the Ukrainian side insists on its readiness for an exchange and accuses Russia of sabotage, Russian sources adhere to a diametrically opposite point of view. Thus, in a publication dated August 12, 2026, on the Gazeta.ru portal, a Russian representative, Lantratova, accused Ukraine of disrupting the exchange, stating: "Kyiv needs PR, not people's lives." According to her, it is the Ukrainian side that is dragging out the processes and using the topic of prisoners of war for propaganda purposes. Thus, we observe a classic situation of information confrontation, where each side accuses the other of unwillingness to make concessions to save lives. ### Context: Re-capture and Blocking of Large-Scale Exchanges The situation surrounding the exchange is exacerbated by new facts voiced by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. As of the end of July 2026, 20 cases were recorded when Russian soldiers, previously exchanged, were captured again by the Ukrainian side. This indicates that the motivation of many prisoners is not ideological, but a desire to survive and return home. In addition, Dmytro Lubinets previously reported on Russia's blocking of a large-scale "1000 for 1000" exchange, which was announced earlier. This confirms the thesis that Russia is preparing a new information campaign, trying to form a perception among the Western audience of an allegedly humane attitude towards Ukrainians, while real exchange mechanisms are at a dead end due to Moscow's fault. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Russia constantly delays the conduct of prisoner exchanges, – Lubinets](https://www.unian.net/society/rossiya-postoyanno-sabotiruet-obmen-plennymi-ombudsmen-13468293.html) - Дополнительный контекст о саботаже. - [«Kyiv needs PR, not people's lives». Lantratova accused Ukraine of disrupting the prisoner exchange](https://www.gazeta.ru/social/2026/08/12/23384461.shtml) - Источник для блока «Противоречивые данные» (позиция РФ). - [Lubinets: Russia blocked the prisoner exchange "1000 for 1000"](https://www.unian.net/society/lubinec-rossiya-zablokirovala-obmen-plennymi-1000-na-1000-anonsirovannyy-trampom-13380159.html) - Дополнительный контекст о саботаже. - [Lubinets exposed Russia's manipulation regarding the prisoner exchange](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/lubinets-vikriv-manipulyatsiyu-rf-shchodo-1786545708.html) - Основной источник заявления омбудсмена. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Is Ukraine refusing to take back its prisoners of war? **A:** No, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that Ukraine is ready to take back absolutely all citizens that Russia is willing to hand over. ### Q: Why does Russia accuse Ukraine of refusing prisoners? **A:** According to Lubinets, this is part of a media campaign to discredit Ukraine and delay the exchange process. ### Q: What do Russian sources say about the exchange? **A:** The Russian side, in particular Lantratova, claims that Kyiv is disrupting exchanges for PR purposes and is not interested in saving lives.