Occupiers are forming battalion comprised of Ukrainian POWs and make them vote

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO – SUNDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2022, 17:02

The occupiers are forming a "Bohdan Khmelnytskii Cossack battalion" from Ukrainian captives kept in the Olenivka POW camp [in Donetsk region], and make them vote to join Russia at the sham referendum.

Source: Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine

Quote: "The occupiers are forming a "Bohdan Khmelnytskyy Cossack Battalion" from the prisoners of war kept in the Olenivka POW camp".

Details: The Center also stated that, according to Russian propagandist media, 11 male and 23 female members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly asked the militants to issue them passports of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

The occupiers forced 57 more Ukrainian prisoners of war who own a residence registration in Donetsk Oblast to vote at the "referendum" in favour of the integration of the occupied territories into Russia.

"To make this provocation look at least a bit plausible, a remark was made in the POW’s passports stating that they are registered as domiciled in the so-called "DPR", which allegedly gives them the right to participate in the fake referendum", the Center explains.

The organisation also added that this "vote" is another manipulation aimed at promoting the Kremlin’s narrative in the occupied territories. According to this narrative, many of the POWs are allegedly "in favour of the integration into Russia".

Background: The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that Russia may be preparing for mobilisation of Ukrainian prisoners of war, which would be a violation of the Geneva Convention.

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