AFU Law Enforcement Service denies armed Russian POW escape from custody in Kharkiv region

Official denial of circulating rumours

The Law Enforcement Service (LES) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has officially denied the escape of Russian prisoners of war on the territory of Kharkiv region. This information previously appeared on social media, but representatives of the military police confirmed that no such incidents had occurred.

The relevant statement was published on 29 October.

Details of the circulated information

The LES statement notes that false news is actively spreading in the information space regarding the alleged escape of two armed Russian prisoners of war from custody. It also mentioned an incident involving the shooting of an LES vehicle near the village of Starovirivka in Kharkiv region.

«У інформаційному просторі поширюється повідомлення про нібито втечу двох російських військовополонених зі зброєю з-під варти Військової служби правопорядку, а також розстріл автомобіля ВСП поблизу Старовірівки Харківської області. Повідомляємо, що поширена інформація не відповідає дійсності, зазначена подія у ВСП не фіксувалася» (Reports are circulating in the information space about the alleged escape of two armed Russian prisoners of war from the custody of the Law Enforcement Service, as well as the shooting of an LES vehicle near Starovirivka in Kharkiv region. We inform you that the circulated information is untrue, and the mentioned incident was not recorded by the LES), the official statement emphasises.

Call to verify sources

The LES confirmed that all units of the service continue to carry out their tasks in normal mode at their designated locations.

The department appealed to media representatives, social media users, and public opinion leaders to carefully verify the reliability of the data they receive and to rely exclusively on official sources of information.