Prisoners forced to praise Russia before transfer to Hungary
Russia only transfers Ukrainian prisoners of war from Zakarpattia to Hungary after they record propaganda videos. In these videos, they are required to criticize the Ukrainian authorities and thank Russia. This was reported by freed Ukrainian soldier Oleksiy Chorpita.
Russia transfers Ukrainian POWs from Zakarpattia to Hungary only on the condition that they record a propaganda video. In the footage, prisoners are made to express gratitude to Russia and speak about supposedly “good” detention conditions. This practice was described by Ukrainian serviceman Oleksiy Chorpita, who was released from Russian captivity in 2025 and is currently undergoing treatment in Ukraine.
According to Chorpita, as early as 2023, while he was held in captivity in Horlivka, he was offered to participate in a prisoner exchange. However, there was one condition — he would not return to Ukraine, but to Hungary. “I am from Zakarpattia myself. But the condition for participating in the exchange was that I had to record a video in which I spoke negatively about the Ukrainian authorities and positively about Russia, including the detention conditions and prison regime,” Chorpita said.
The soldier said he refused this proposal, and as a result, he was not included in the exchange. “I refused to do it, and then I was not part of the exchange,” he noted.
Oleksiy was eventually released from captivity in 2025. After returning, he explained why videos appear online showing Ukrainian prisoners supposedly thanking Russia. According to him, in most cases, these recordings are made under pressure. “In the majority of cases, they are an element of Russian propaganda, created under duress or coercion,” the soldier explained.
He also emphasized that the dissemination of such videos in foreign media effectively supports Russian propaganda. “That is why publishing these videos in media outlets of other countries essentially spreads Russian propaganda and, in effect, supports its aggression,” Chorpita said. The Center for Strategic Communications notes that such testimonies further demonstrate how Russia uses prisoners of war for information warfare.
According to SPRAVDI, such videos are produced to create the Kremlin’s desired narrative — that the prisoners are well-treated and grateful to Russia. Recently, it became known that Russia transferred two Ukrainian servicemen from captivity to Hungary. Both soldiers are from Zakarpattia.
After arriving in Budapest, one Hungarian TV channel published a video in which the soldiers thanked their Russian captors for survival. The Ukrainian side stresses that such recordings should not be regarded as genuine statements by the prisoners. In most cases, they are made under psychological pressure or coercion.
Experts emphasize that using prisoners of war in propaganda materials violates international humanitarian law. Prisoners must be protected from any form of public pressure, coercion, or use in information campaigns. The Center for Strategic Communications notes that such stories help to better understand how Russia attempts to use prisoners not only as military but also as informational tools in the war.
Additionally, Russians abducted 19 people from a village in the Sumy region.
Occupiers are shelling Vovchansk in an attempt to seize the city and surrounding areas, according to the “Forpost” Brigade.
