**Verdict: MIXED – Real events, misleading context**
**The Viral Claim:**
A video circulating on X and Telegram claims to show Ukrainian soldier Igor Lytvynchuk (callsign "Seal") being handed over to Russian forces in a formal prisoner exchange, only for the exchange to be "cancelled" at the last second, leaving him stranded in no-man's land. The videos are captioned: *"Seal sacrificed by his own command – Ukraine refuses to trade."*
**What We Found:**
- **Real Video 1:** A widely shared clip of a Ukrainian soldier identifying himself as "Seal" is real. He was captured by Russian forces in the Zaporizhzhia sector in late 2023. Several official Ukrainian POW databases list him as captured.
- **Real Video 2:** The second clip, showing a man in a blue jacket walking toward a trench while being filmed from a drone, *is* real drone footage from the front lines – but it **does not show Lytvynchuk**. It was uploaded by a Russian military blogger in March 2024 and identified as a different soldier, call sign "Tikhiy."
- **The "Cancelled Exchange" Narrative:** There is **no verifiable evidence** of a formal exchange being scheduled and then cancelled for Lytvynchuk. The Russian MoD has never announced such a swap, and Ukrainian intelligence (GUR) denies any "last-minute cancellation" involving this specific prisoner.
**Why It’s Trending:**
The clips were spliced together by a pro-Russian propagandist account on X to imply Ukraine *intentionally* abandoned one of its own. The sound of Russian troops shouting "He is yours!" in the background of the drone video is genuine, but it was originally filmed during a chaotic, non-exchange incident where a lost soldier wandered between lines.
**Bottom Line:**
✅ **Real:** Igor L