Propagandists are disseminating information on anonymous telegram channels that “at least 13 soldiers from the 123rd brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have died, and approximately 80 are in critical condition after an outbreak of an unidentified gastrointestinal infection”. However, this is a Russian fake, which has been repeatedly refuted by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

The sanitary and epidemic situation in the Kherson region is stable and controlled. No outbreaks of acute intestinal infections or food poisoning have been registered. Additional information checks conducted by local and national health authorities confirm that no cases of mass disease among military or civilians were recorded in the Kherson region.

The spread of such fakes is part of an information war aimed at destabilizing the situation in Ukraine, undermining trust in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and creating panic among the population. This step is a standard propaganda tactic used by the Russian side to discredit the Ukrainian authorities. They say that Kyiv neglects real problems and does not think about its military.