Kremlin telegram channels claim that HIV and hepatitis B and C are spreading massively among the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and due to the lack of medical care and even its ban, the situation is only getting worse. Therefore, the government allegedly decided to take “extraordinary measures” - free testing for these infections for the military.

As VoXCheck analysts explain, the Facts article cited by propagandists is not talking about the “massive” spread of HIV and hepatitis B and C among the military. And it is about a pilot project created on the basis of the Main Military Clinical Hospital in Kyiv, where military personnel can undergo rapid testing for these infections and receive the necessary treatment.

According to the Center for Public Health, cited by fact-checkers, in 2023, more than 11.6 thousand cases of HIV were recorded among all Ukrainians. The incidence rate even decreased by 5% compared to 2022. There is no official data on HIV infection among military personnel, so allegations about the “massive rate” of infection among soldiers are unfounded.

The number of cases of hepatitis B and C is also relatively small - 759 and 439 cases respectively for 2023. Information about the military is also unknown.

Military personnel were able to undergo free testing for HIV, hepatitis B and C before. In particular, HIV-infected people can contact the HIV/AIDS hotline.

The medical guarantee program operating in Ukraine includes a package of services for HIV-infected people, which provides free testing, treatment, medical supervision, etc. As of the beginning of 2024, more than 118 thousand people are receiving antiretroviral therapy.

Thus, statements about the “massive” spread of HIV and hepatitis B and C among the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the lack of medical care are untrue. This is yet another piece of Russian propaganda disinformation.

At the end of March, propagandists intimidated people that Ukrainian military personnel studying in France were allegedly diagnosed with tuberculosis, and also that in the Poltava region there was no one to treat populated areas against ticks due to the “mass mobilization” of relevant specialists.

More rebuttals to healthcare misinformation are available in the Disinformation Chronicles Healthcare section.