Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that a special evacuation flight to Germany for children from Okhmatdyt was planned even before the attack on the hospital. This was reported by the Russian-language service of Deutsche Welle, citing the words of the German Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach. Propagandists claim that this statement proves that Ukraine itself attacked the Okhmatdyt building as a provocation on the eve of the NATO summit in Washington.

However, this news is a manipulation, write StopFake. Yes, the screenshot from the Deutsche Welle account is real, but the publication’s journalists incorrectly conveyed the essence of the German Health Minister’s statement.

In fact, on his page on the social network X (Twitter), Lauterbach wrote that he promised the Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko to accept sick children in need at any time, and that an evacuation flight with Okhmatdyt patients would depart on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 . He also emphasized that the targeted attack on a children's hospital once again proves that Putin is a war criminal.

Accordingly, Lauterbach’s statement did not say that the parties had agreed in advance to export specifically Okhmatdyt patients—they meant any Ukrainian children in need of medical treatment abroad.

The evacuation itself takes place within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). Under this program, Germany has already received more than 1,100 patients, including children - this figure is the highest among EU states. Three German medical institutions agreed to accept patients from Okhmatdyt: university hospitals in Greifswald and Rostock, as well as the Berlin Charité clinic.

With this manipulation, Russia is trying to assure its own citizens and the world community that Ukraine itself launched a missile attack on the country’s largest children’s hospital. Previously, we explained why the information about the Okhmatdyt building being hit as a result of Ukrainian air defense is a lie.