Russia sends Ukrainians calls to surrender in Signal messenger

This was reported by the Strategic Communications Directorate of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"Ukrainian users of Signal, which is used by the military, received a message calling to "choose life" at a certain frequency. This is the frequency at which Ukrainians can allegedly voluntarily surrender," the statement said.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine's Strategic Communication department points out that in this way Russia is imitating the Ukrainian project "I want to live" launched by Ukrainian intelligence in 2022. As of August 26, Russian soldiers had submitted more than 24,000 applications in which they expressed a desire to surrender.

"At the same time, there is a camp in Ukraine for Russian prisoners of war that meets all the standards of the Geneva Conventions - with exercise, three meals a day, a library, sports grounds and a pool with carps. Both the Red Cross and the media have access to this camp," the department noted.

They stressed that Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Russian Federation are treated terribly: beaten, tortured with electric shocks, starved, denied medical care and psychologically abused. In addition, third-party organizations, including the UN and the Red Cross, are denied access to their places of detention.

Strategic Communication department recalled the terrorist attack committed by Russia in occupied Olenivka: in July 2022, an explosion occurred in the colony, killing at least 53 Ukrainian military prisoners.

"So all the calls from Russian forces to surrender in order to 'stay alive' are just empty words. To choose Russia is to choose death," the department added.

• On July 12, it became known that since the beginning of the counter-offensive, relatives from the Russian Federation have been contacting the Ukrainian military en masse. This is part of the Russian information operations. The use of personal and family contacts is a method that was actively used by the Soviet secret services. Nowadays, they are used by Russian special services on a massive scale

• The head of the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, says that about 20% of Russian prisoners of war surrender voluntarily, but Ukraine's 'exchange fund' is much smaller than Russia's.