Russia is very likely to use the ceasefire and press tour in Oleshky for propaganda❗️ They will try to shift the blame for the humanitarian crisis onto Ukraine, whitewash their war crimes, and leverage NewsMax's presence to legitimize their narrative on the international stage. ​In today's interview, President Zelenskyy warned: "The Russians must demine the roads. Undoubtedly, Russia will do everything to demine the roads in such a way that these people move toward Russia and remain there. After all, they won't agree to just let the people go." ​Indeed, controlled demining is one way to force people onto Russian-held territory while painting themselves as saviors. ​Earlier this month, on October 7, the Security Service of Ukraine issued its own warning about planned Russian propaganda campaigns: ​"According to operational data, servicemen from one of the occupying units have been ordered to prepare a series of ‘compromising’ interviews with the residents of the occupied town. In these videos, local residents are required to accuse the Ukrainian Defense Forces of constant shelling and the blockade of the town; discredit the decisions of Ukraine’s military and political leadership; and express a positive attitude and gratitude towards the military of the aggressor state." ​Russia has a long history of using controlled press tours to craft propaganda in carefully staged settings. ​In reality, the disaster in Oleshky is the direct result of a Russian blockade. Russian forces have been using civilians as human shields for drone operator units stationed in the town that continue to bomb Kherson across the river. ​Several videos online show Ukrainian troops attempting to deliver humanitarian aid via drones, precisely because Russian forces have blocked access to Oleshky for months. ​I call on the international community, especially journalists and editors, to remain vigilant. Russia can and will try to exploit this situation for propaganda, just as they have repeatedly created and exploited humanitarian disasters in the past.

Today, another Russian smear campaign is trying to pretend that Ukraine, or Zelenskyy personally, rejected a good "peace deal" in Istanbul in 2022. ​The "peace plan" in question included strict limitations on the Ukrainian armed forces, rendering them harmless and defenseless. No alliances were allowed. It also included security guarantees, but with a funny kicker: Russia demanded that triggering these security guarantees required the unanimous agreement of all guarantor states, including Russia itself. ​In other words, Ukraine was supposed to disarm almost completely, after which Russia could attack again and just block Ukraine from receiving any military aid. Comfy, right? ​The "peace deal" proposed in Istanbul was, in fact, a "disarm and let Russia slaughter us" deal. The full details are public by now. Research it yourself and don't fall for the propaganda.