CPD: Medinsky attributed to himself a "bilateral meeting" with Umerov before the negotiations in Istanbul
Russian propaganda has launched a campaign to discredit the Ukrainian delegation that participated in the negotiations in Istanbul, the Center for Countering Disinformation reports .
In particular, the Russian dictator's aide Volodymyr Medinsky announced an alleged "bilateral meeting" with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov before the negotiations.
The CPS stressed that this information is not true. In fact, the meeting took place with the participation of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan , who acted as a mediator.
The Russian side's statements about allegedly reached "closed agreements" are manipulation and aimed at undermining trust in Ukrainian representatives, the Center notes.
According to the Central Intelligence Agency, Russian propaganda is preparing a two-vector information attack. Inside Ukraine, conspiracy-laden rumors will be spread about alleged personal ties between members of the delegation and Russians. For Western audiences, the message will be promoted that Ukraine is allegedly "delaying peace talks."
"Russia's goal is to change reality and impose a narrative in which the aggressor presents itself as a "peacemaker," the CPD emphasizes.
- The new Istanbul talks lasted a little more than an hour , during which Ukraine and Russia agreed to hold a new exchange of prisoners and 6,000 bodies of those killed on both sides .
- The head of the Russian delegation, Medinsky, said that a temporary ceasefire would be established on some sections of the front to collect the bodies of the dead. Zelensky said that in this way Moscow wants to postpone sanctions .
- The President noted that during the negotiations, the occupiers admitted that they had kidnapped Ukrainian children . The Russian delegation offered to return up to 10 children to Ukraine, despite the list of almost 400 abducted minors that Kyiv provided .
- Also, the Russian Federation finally handed over the promised "memorandum" – a vision for ending the war with maximalist demands on Ukraine . Kyiv provided Moscow with such a document in advance . The parties will study the memoranda within a week .
