- Category
- Latest news
Russia Forces Ukrainian POWs to Record “Thank You” Propaganda Videos for Transfer to Hungary
- Authors
![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Russia is demanding that Ukrainian Prisoners of War (POWs) from the Zakarpattia region record propaganda videos praising the aggressor state as a prerequisite for their transfer to Hungary.
This was reported by the Strategic Communications and Information Security Center SPRAVDI on March 6.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
Oleksiy Chorpita, a Ukrainian serviceman recently released from captivity, shared his firsthand experience from 2023 while being held in a prison in occupied Horlivka.
“I am from Zakarpattia myself. They offered to include me in an exchange, but on the condition that I go to Hungary,” Chorpita explained. “However, the requirement was that I had to record a video speaking negatively about the Ukrainian authorities while praising Russia, the conditions of my detention, and the prison regime.”
Chorpita refused the ultimatum and remained in captivity until he was finally freed in 2025. He is currently undergoing medical treatment in Ukraine.
“In most cases, they are elements of Russian propaganda created under duress,” Chorpita noted. “The publication of such videos in the media of other countries effectively spreads Russian propaganda and supports its aggression.”
According to the center, this testimony serves as another exposure of Russian war narratives, revealing the true face of the aggressor state and the countries that amplify its propaganda for their own ends.
On March 4 Russian leader Vladimir Putin promised Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó the release of two additional Ukrainians held in Russian captivity who hold dual Hungarian citizenship.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Kyiv was never provided with information regarding the soldiers Russia intended to hand over. Consequently, the Hungarian chargé d'affaires will be summoned to the MFA to provide verified data, and Ukraine will request direct access to the individuals involved.
“We are forced to conclude that this is not the first time Moscow and Budapest have manipulated the sensitive issue of prisoners of war,” the MFA told RBC-Ukraine. “The cynicism is striking when the release of human beings is turned into political PR ahead of elections in Hungary and used as a bargaining chip in relations with the Kremlin.”
As reported by SPRAVDI, following POWs’ arrival in Budapest, a Hungarian television channel aired a video in which the soldiers thanked their Russian captors for their survival.
Earlier, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced that Ukraine successfully brought home 200 servicemen from Russian captivity.
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
