Propagandists spread information that, according to various estimates, in Ukraine, supposedly from 200 to 500 thousand people have already lost limbs, and 50 thousand Ukrainian military personnel have turned to the Ottobock company, which develops prosthetics. This is manipulation.

This case was studied by specialists from the VoxUkraine project. It turned out that the information mentioned was being manipulated. Firstly, Russian propaganda does not cite a single source from which the figures about 200-500 thousand people who lost limbs come from. There is only a link to the Ottobock company, which allegedly ordered prosthetics for 50 thousand Ukrainian soldiers. Secondly, presumably, the propagandists had in mind an article by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which directly quoted the German company Ottobock, providing data on the number of prosthetics ordered by Ukrainians. However, the article is talking about 20-50 thousand Ukrainians, and not just military personnel who lost limbs, and by no means hundreds of thousands. In addition, 50 thousand is a rough estimate based on data from the state and medical partners of the total number of amputees, but not the number of Ottobock clients.

Russian propaganda is trying to scare Ukrainians and encourage us to oppose the current government by exaggerating the number of compatriots who have had one or two limbs amputated. In this case, propagandists are manipulating a sensitive topic. Previously, we analyzed the Russian manipulation that in Ukraine they allegedly want to abolish disability in order to send more people to the front.

This thesis is promoted by the chairman of the occupation administration of the Kherson region, collaborator Volodymyr Saldo. In addition, according to him, the strike could be carried out “in the near future” by either Western or Ukrainian missiles with Russian markings on the parts.

The Center for Countering Disinformation has reviewed this information. Russian war criminals and their henchmen constantly accuse the criminal “Kyiv regime” of provocations both on the territory of Ukraine and abroad. Taking advantage of the situation that has developed on the Ukrainian-Polish border with the Poles blocking trucks, propagandists are trying to further complicate the political relations between Ukraine and Poland. Another goal of promoting the mentioned message is to reduce Western support for Ukraine.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security writes that unknown people created an anonymous feedback bot on Telegram, allegedly on behalf of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, for complaints and suggestions from Ukrainians and other persons. Its name is @rustem_umerov_bot. However, Umierov does not have an account on Telegram, and the created bot is not official and has no relation to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the ministry said.

It is likely that the information collected can be used for Russian IPSO directed against Ukraine. Nothing prevents the enemy from resorting to innovative methods of conducting hybrid warfare, so collecting information for his own purposes is possible in this way. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine asked “not to provide any information at the request of the individuals running this account, and also to file a complaint against it”.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that the battalion commander of the 14th separate mechanized brigade (14 separate mechanized brigade) allegedly shot and killed young psychologist Nataliia Lychman, who forced soldiers to storm Russian troops to return lost territories. Her death was then attributed to artillery shelling by the Russian Armed Forces with cluster munitions. However, this is a fake.

The specialists from the StopFake project checked this information. They managed to find out that Nataliia Lychman was not a psychologist and did not serve in the 14th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, but was a serviceman of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. She participated in the defense of Bakhmut, and her death became known on December 19, 2022. Then many Ukrainian media reported about the deceased serviceman from Transcarpathia, using in their materials a photograph that the propagandists took for their fake news.

This disinformation is consistent with the Russian propaganda narrative that Ukrainians do not seem to want to fight, and therefore they need to be forced to confront the Russians. In addition, propagandists continue to “create a picture” of discord between Ukrainians – in particular, the military, as in this case. Previously, we refuted information that in Ukraine they allegedly distributed propaganda letters to elderly people so that they could mobilize them into the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating information that the Kharkiv authorities intend to begin construction of an underground school solely in their own interests - “for the sake of a beautiful picture and PR”. They say that initiatives of this kind are being made only in order to once again steal the budget, while schoolchildren in regular schools seem to be in no danger. However, this is a fake.

In the StopFake project, the fact-checkers drew attention to this information. They noted that propaganda resources “forgot” to say that Ukrainian schoolchildren are forced to study not in the classrooms of their schools, but in underground shelters due to constant Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, including educational institutions. According to the Ministry of Education of Ukraine and UNICEF, as of November 2023, more than 4,100 Ukrainian schools were destroyed or damaged by Russians throughout the country. Of these, in the Kharkiv region, 51 educational institutions were completely destroyed, and 579 schools, kindergartens, educational institutions were partially damaged. Experts from the UN Children's Fund note that due to Russian aggression, Ukrainian children are left without access to basic rights - education and healthcare, which puts their lives and well-being at risk.

When schools and kindergartens are closed due to Russian attacks, children lose the opportunity to communicate with their peers, which is important for their development. In this regard, in Kharkiv, as in a number of other Ukrainian settlements, blended learning is practiced - online and offline in safe places. In Kharkiv it is the metro. At five Kharkiv metro stations, 19 classrooms are equipped that meet wartime safety standards, as well as educational standards. The classrooms are equipped with sound insulation and climate control, the rooms are isolated from the platforms on which the trains move. In the metro, 105 classes and 2,087 children study in several shifts. These are mainly primary and secondary schoolchildren.

Given the demand among parents of Kharkiv schoolchildren for offline education of their children in safe places, city authorities in October 2023 announced their intention to begin construction of the first underground school. The cost of construction is 58 million hryvnia. The school will be able to accommodate 450 schoolchildren, that is, 900 children in two shifts. Preparatory work has already begun.

Propagandists claim that their “high-precision weapons” only hit strategically important military targets, and that Russians shelling schools, kindergartens, cultural institutions, etc. – these are all inventions of Ukrainians. That is, the Russian army in no case supposedly attacks the civilian population of Ukraine, and therefore there is no need to worry while Ukrainian children are alive. Ultimately, this case of disinformation aims to nourish the Russian propaganda narrative about a mediocre Ukrainian government that steals everything and engages in self-promotion, instead of raising the standard of living of ordinary Ukrainians.