The National Information Bureau under the Ministry of Reintegration is reminding that excessive specificity in media coverage of the topic of captivity can complicate the process of releasing prisoners of war.

This is because the enemy can learn new information about the prisoners, as well as draw conclusions based on the memories of those released from captivity.

Therefore, for the safety of our defenders, we recommend that relatives of prisoners and their comrades-in-arms do the next:

– avoid excessive media coverage of prisoners of war if they were not public figures before captivity;

– avoid making statements that the military personnel released from captivity will soon return to the front;

– avoid excessive details in public statements about human rights violations (torture, conditions of detention) during captivity;

– avoid publishing photos and videos of prisoners of war;

– in conversations with the media, emphasize the need for Russia to comply with the Geneva Conventions.

Please note that every word spoken may affect the conditions of the defenders’ stay in captivity. In particular, the Russian Federation may change the classification of our defenders’ actions.

We are reminding that you can inform the NIB about a person in enemy captivity by calling the round-the-clock hotline at 1648 or using chatbots in Telegram or Viber. You can also fill out an online form on the National Information Bureau’s website. For calls from abroad, please use the following number: +38 (044) 287-81-65.