Explaining complex things in simple words: POW exchange, Nord Stream case, Russian bomber crash

PRISONERS OF WAR EXCHANGE

The Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Lubinets held a conversation with Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova regarding the prisoners of war exchange.

• Over the past two weeks, up to two thousand Russian military personnel were captured by the Ukrainian Defence Forces, in particular from “sensitive” categories: conscripts, border guards (FSB) and fighters from the Akhmat formations.
• For the first time, the Russian side initiated negotiations on the exchange of prisoners of war. 
• Ukraine is always open to exchange negotiations. The liberation of our people from Russian captivity is a state priority.
• First of all, Ukraine will demand the return of the seriously ill and seriously injured, as well as women. In addition, preference will be given to those who have been in captivity the longest, in particular prisoners from the Azov Regiment and Azovstal Defenders, whom the Russian side has not included in the exchanges in principle.
• We will also return those who have been illegally detained by Russia since 2014. And not only military personnel, but also civilian hostages, in particular, Crimean Tatars. 

NORD STREAM CASE

Some media in Germany and the U.S. are once again publishing versions of Ukraine's involvement in the explosions of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022.

• Ukraine is not involved in the Nord Stream sabotage in the Baltic Sea.
• Versions in the media about the alleged involvement of Ukraine are based on dubious anonymous sources and are unrealistic from a technical standpoint.
• Russia has its own fleet with special deep-sea equipment in the Baltic Sea and sufficient technical resources for such an operation.
• These are not the first “throws” in the media about Ukraine's alleged involvement in the sabotage. It is already noticeable that each appearance of such publications is not accidental but synchronized with attempts to weaken international support for our country. 

RUSSIAN BOMBER CRASH

On August 15, a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in the Irkutsk oblast of the Russian Federation.

• Tu-22M strategic bombers are cruise missile carriers, with which the Russian aggressor constantly terrorizes the peaceful cities of Ukraine. Thousands of human lives are on the conscience of Russian killer pilots.
• According to preliminary data, the cause of the plane crash was a technical malfunction. This is not surprising because Russia exhausted the resources of these planes during the war with Ukraine, and the ability to repair and modernize them is limited by international sanctions.
• Russian strategic aviation is a legitimate military target for the Defence Forces of Ukraine. Since December 2022, at least 6 Tu-22M planes have been destroyed or damaged at the Russian military air bases Dyagilevo, Soltsy and Olenya, one more was shot down in the sky over the Stavropol Krai.
• Russia has about three dozen serviceable Tu-22M aircraft. Production of new strategic bombers in the Russian Federation is practically impossible.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security