The pro-Russian segment of the Internet is spreading information that Ukrainian doctors allegedly removed a healthy kidney from a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who was wounded near Sudzha as a result of a Russian drone attack. In claiming this, the propagandists refer to a message on Facebook from the Ukrainian soldier's “girlfriend”, who announced a collection for the man's rehabilitation and allegedly reported that he “no longer has a kidney”.

However, the information about the removal of the Ukrainian soldier's kidney is not true - the propagandists edited the original message of a Facebook user under the nickname Victoria Pendeliuk. The woman did announce a collection for the rehabilitation of the man, but did not report the disappearance of his kidney. So, if one looks at the screenshot of Victoria Pendeliuk's message, which is being distributed by propagandists, and the real message, one will notice that the original publication does not contain the words “and he no longer has a kidney”.

On Facebook, it would be noticeable if the post had been edited. In this case, when you click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the post, the option “View edit history” appears. Some of the posts by Facebook user Victoria Pendeliuk were indeed edited after publication, but no changes were made to the post announcing a fundraiser for the man's rehabilitation. Accordingly, the option “View edit history” is not displayed on it.

After all, Facebook user Victoria Pendeliuk is in fact the wife, not the girlfriend, of the wounded Ukrainian serviceman, and she has already managed to publish a new message refuting the “news” about her husband’s “disappearance of a kidney”.

This fake is intended to feed the Russian narrative about the alleged flourishing of black transplantology in Ukraine. They say that black transplantologists are profiting from the war in Ukraine. We have previously analyzed a number of fakes on this topic. For example, we wrote about disinformation that the heart of a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier is allegedly being sold on the darknet for 70 thousand dollars.

Russian anonymous Telegram channels are actively spreading false information about the sale of organs of deceased Ukrainian soldiers on the black market. According to their reports, ads for the sale of the heart of a Ukrainian soldier for $70,000 have allegedly appeared on the darknet, and similar cases have allegedly been recorded earlier. However, these messages are part of a long-running disinformation campaign known as Black Transplantology, which dates back to 2014, that is, false. Its main goal is to discredit the Ukrainian military-political leadership and form a negative image of Ukraine in the international arena. This is written by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

This fake also functions as a tool of psychological warfare, creating mistrust of the Ukrainian government, speculating on emotionally sensitive topics, and creating an image of the Ukrainian military as “victims of the system” rather than victims of Russian aggression. The manipulation is aimed at destabilizing Ukrainian society and weakening support for the country from the international community. Propaganda often uses such disinformation tactics to tarnish Ukraine’s reputation, presenting it as a corrupt state that disregards human rights.

Ukraine complies with international humanitarian law and ensures appropriate treatment of fallen soldiers, strictly fulfilling its international obligations. The dissemination of such fakes is an attempt to manipulate public opinion and undermine the morale of Ukrainians.

Information is being spread on Russian social networks that a private clinic has posted ads looking for a doctor and a driver-courier to work in frontline cities. Anonymous users report that these vacancies are likely related to the removal of organs from the front or semi-legal cooperation between Ukrainian military personnel and private clinics.

But this is a fake. The ads contain numerous inaccuracies, the phone number belongs to another person. Using keywords, our fact-checking colleagues found the vacancies shown in the screenshots, all of them were published by a user named Viktor Glushko. The ad from the first screenshot was removed from the SellBuyAll.com.ua website, but Glushko published a vacancy for an anesthesiologist-resuscitator on the same website. It is noteworthy that an ad with identical content on the same website was published by an account with the nickname _anо.ni.m. The vacancies were posted on other local websites with ads.

There are inaccuracies in the text of the advertisements themselves. In particular, it is stated that the applicant for the vacancy of a surgeon must have mastered “transplantation methods”. However, fact-checkers were unable to find a definition of “transplantation methods”.

The list of duties of a “driver-courier” includes the item “delivery of biomaterials in Ukraine and abroad by automobile and motorcycle transport”. However, firstly, travel outside of Ukraine is prohibited for most military-liable men, although, of course, there are exceptions.

“Black transplantology” in Ukraine is a conspiracy theory that Russians have been developing for a decade. The constant return to the topic testifies to its importance for Russia. These messages are promoted to both domestic and international audiences. However, their refutation in foreign and Ukrainian media prevents the campaign from having the desired effect. Among the goals pursued by Russian propaganda within the framework of this topic are discrediting the military-political leadership of Ukraine and reducing trust in it, creating a negative image of the state in the eyes of the international community, and justifying a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Read also: How and why Russia uses the topic of “black transplantology” in Ukraine

Anonymous Telegram channels are spreading a Spanish-language story about how the body of fallen Colombian International Legion soldier Michael Ramirezi Fino was returned to his family “without internal organs”. In the video, the soldier’s mother allegedly claims that she asked the International Legion leadership for an explanation and was told that her son’s organs were transplanted to wounded comrades, but the woman doubts this.

But this story is made up, and the video was fabricated by propagandists. Firstly, it was not possible to find a Spanish-language media outlet called Ahora online - the propagandists probably drew the logo of the fictitious publication themselves. Secondly, no other authoritative source reported on this story. Mentions of this story are published only in social networks of the Russian segment.

Black transplantology in Ukraine is a conspiracy theory that Russians have been developing for a decade. The constant return to the topic testifies to its importance for Russia. These messages are promoted to both domestic and international audiences. However, their refutation in foreign and Ukrainian media prevents the campaign from having the desired effect. Among the goals pursued by Russian propaganda within the framework of this topic are discrediting the military-political leadership of Ukraine and reducing trust in it, creating a negative image of the state in the eyes of the international community, and justifying a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Read also: How and why Russia uses the topic of “black transplantology” in Ukraine

Russian media have spread information that in Ukraine children's blood was allegedly forcibly taken for the needs of the army. At the same time, such propaganda materials note that this is done by the military themselves, or that this blood is collected for “foreign mercenaries”. The publications are accompanied by a photo of a guy who donated blood in an educational institution - school desks are visible in the background of the photo.

“There have already been cases in history when children's blood was used to support the health of Wehrmacht soldiers. And this practice was assessed during the Nuremberg Trials”, the propagandists write.

VoxCheck fact-checkers analyzed the case and determined that this photo was actually taken on Donor Day, which was held on August 22 in the Vinnytsia region. At that time, a blood collection point was indeed set up in a local lyceum, and the blood collection itself was carried out by a mobile team from the Vinnytsia regional blood service center with the help of local health workers.

A total of 80 people donated blood, local groups write that there were many more who wanted to, but not everyone was able to take part in this procedure due to health reasons. Many photographs from the West were published, among them readers can see the one used by agitprop, but not a single photo shows children, only adults are in line and donating blood.

Propagandists have been systematically spreading fakes and manipulations on the topic of an alleged blood shortage in Ukraine. In this way, the authors of the messages are trying to convince that everything is bad in Ukraine and that there are many wounded who are not receiving adequate care because “there is not enough blood”. We managed to refute several fakes on this topic. For example, one of the fakes said that Ukraine is banning all foreign citizens from becoming blood donors. We also checked the authenticity of a message on social networks about a Ukrainian woman abandoning her husband because he was “transfused with Russian blood”.

A pro-Russian Moldovan Telegram channel writes that Ukraine is “a testing ground not only for conventional, intelligent and unmanned weapons”. Wounded Ukrainian soldiers are also allegedly transported to Europe as biomaterial for studying the effects of modern weapons on humans and for testing new types of viruses and bacteria that are more resistant to antibiotics. In reporting this, the propagandists partly refer to the material of the British publication The Times.

In fact, the propagandists manipulated an article in The Times titled: “Ukraine war highlights mutated superbugs that can resist antibiotics”. The text tells of the case of a Ukrainian soldier whose leg was amputated at St George’s Hospital in London because antibiotics could not cure his infection, as the bacteria were resistant to all classes of antibiotics. However, the propagandists’ claims that Ukrainian servicemen are being transported to Europe to test new types of viruses and bacteria are unfounded.

At the same time, The Times writes that this is not just a crisis of war zones and distant lands. In 2022, more than 58,000 people in England were infected with an antibiotic-resistant infection, up 4% from the previous year. Moreover, almost 8,000 people die from such infections in the UK every year.

With this message, propagandists feed the narrative about Western biological laboratories in Ukraine. As part of this disinformation campaign, we recorded a number of such leaks. For example, we wrote about the spread of a fake about the invasion of poisonous spiders from American biological laboratories in Ukraine.

Russian telegram channels are spreading a message with a video in which the media United 24 allegedly claims that the Ukrainian army intercepted a radio conversation in which a Russian commander warns his soldiers that they can only eat the food they brought with them. The video notes that there have been mass cases of fatal poisoning among Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk direction after they allegedly stole and ate food from local supermarkets.

But this is a fake. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are not looting in the Kursk region, unlike the Russian army and locals, who have been repeatedly seen robbing stores. We checked the United 24 website, as well as their social media pages, and did not find the news quoted by the propagandists. In addition, the fakeness of the message is indicated by the use of videos from Russian Telegram channels in the background, in which Ukrainian soldiers allegedly steal food en masse from Kursk stores and supermarkets.

The main goal of this fake is to spread messages about marginalization and looting among the military defense forces of Ukraine. In this way, the propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian army, accuse it of crimes against the civilian population, and also hide their own. In addition, such news should convince Ukrainians that the operation in the Kursk direction is a failure for Ukraine, primarily due to the alleged presence of active public resistance among Russians.

One of the Russian propagandists claims that a large outbreak of open tuberculosis was discovered in parts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stationed in the Kherson region. This was allegedly reported by the “pro-Russian underground” in the Ukrainian rear. Deaths from this infectious disease are also already being recorded.

However, this information is not true. After failing with a fake about an outbreak of an unknown infection in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson region, without coming up with anything new, the Russians are spreading a similar fake about an outbreak of tuberculosis.

In fact, the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Kherson region is stable and controlled. No outbreaks of acute intestinal infections or food poisoning were recorded. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council.

By spreading such fakes, the Russians are trying to confirm that the Ukrainian military and political command are hiding information about the infection of the Ukrainian military and neglecting them. However, in reality, fiction about “tuberculosis”, “cholera” or “an unknown gastric intestinal infection” in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is aimed at nothing more than to discredit the Ukrainian authorities, undermine confidence in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and destabilize the situation in the country.

Information is being spread on social networks that the energy company of Ukraine, the joint-stock company Sumyoblenergo, allegedly promises to leave without wages those workers who refuse to donate blood to soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Publications add a photo of an advertisement that talks about this.

“Ukrainians are forced to donate blood for AFU soldiers who defend the independence and security of Ukraine in the Kursk region. And if they don’t do it, they won’t receive a salary…”, this is how the fake makers describe the situation.

StopFake specialists analyzed the case and contacted Sumyoblenergo with a request to confirm or deny such information. A company spokeswoman said the ad was fake and pointed out exactly where the propaganda went wrong. For example, the company does not have such a department as the “personnel department”, because it was this department that allegedly issued the announcement.

Propagandists systematically spread fakes and manipulations on the topic of an alleged shortage of blood in Ukraine. Thus, the authors of the messages seek to convince that everything is bad in Ukraine and that there are many wounded who are not receiving decent assistance because “there is not enough blood”. We managed to refute several fakes on this topic. For example, one of the fakes said that Ukraine prohibits all foreign citizens from becoming blood donors. We also verified the authenticity of a message on social networks that a Ukrainian woman was abandoning her husband because he was “transfused with the blood of Russans”.

Read on Censor.NET: In Ukraine, representatives of the LGBT community were allegedly banned from “donating blood”

Pro-Kremlin media, referring to the so-called “Mykolaiv movement”, are disseminating information about the appearance of “black transplantologists” in the Sumy region. According to propagandists, they come from the West and drive foreign medical vehicles.

In fact, this information is not true. The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council writes about this. This fake is part of the Russian campaign for the prosperity of black transplantation in Ukraine. The Center for countering disinformation did an extensive study on this topic, where it described in detail such Russian stuffing.

Russians have been conducting an information campaign about black transplantology since 2014. To do this, they produce fake stories, documents, articles and news. The goal is to discredit the military-political leadership of Ukraine and create a negative image of the state in the eyes of the international community.

We have previously recorded similar fakes. For example, about the creation of groups of donors from the Ukrainian military or about the fact that in Ukraine children are sold for organs.

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating information that the Ukrainian authorities are allegedly forming “donor squads” from military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Officials allegedly realize that the soldiers “will still be killed or maimed”, so their organs can be taken by “black transplantologists”. In reporting this, propagandists refer to a statement by Russian Foreign Ministry representative Zakharova.

In fact, Russia has been spreading the narrative about the supposed “prosperity of black transplantology” in Ukraine for more than 10 years, writes the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. Propaganda broadcasts lies to Western audiences, saying that Ukrainians, including children, are “disassembled” for organs, which are then sold to the West. This narrative began to be promoted especially actively with the outbreak of a full-scale war.

However, the Kremlin has never provided any evidence of this. Russians continue to come up with more and more terrible legends, which are subsequently voiced by officials of the Putin regime. Accordingly, this information dump is another attempt to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and show that the defense of Ukraine from the aggressor is supposedly just a business, the victims of which are ordinary soldiers.

As part of the Russian narrative about “black transplantology” in Ukraine, we have already recorded a number of fakes. In particular, they denied information about the alleged sale of Ukrainian children for organs, as well as about the alleged US assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine to “preserve donor organs”.

Pro-Russian sources are disseminating information that the United States is allegedly using hallucinogenic drugs, in particular ketamine, on Ukrainian military personnel. In asserting this, propagandists refer to the corresponding article by The Economist.

However, this information is untrue, write experts on the VoxCheck project. Thus, The Economist did publish an article about the use of ketamine therapy by Ukrainian fighters. However, it was primarily about military personnel with neurological or psychological problems caused by injuries or experiences in war. At the same time, there is no mention in the material that the United States is promoting the spread of ketamine therapy in Ukraine or elsewhere. That is, neither in this article nor in other reliable sources there is information that Ukrainian clinics, at the direction of the United States, are testing ketamine or other psychedelic drugs on Ukrainians.

The Economist story cites the story of Ihor Kholodylo, a military psychologist and medic who, as a result of being wounded, began to stutter and was unable to speak clearly, and also had increased anxiety and nightmares. According to him, ketamine therapy was the only remedy that helped him cope with the trauma and get rid of the mentioned problems.

Also, according to Ukrainian legislation, ketamine is a psychotropic substance whose circulation is limited. In this case, the drug can be used as a medicine. Now in Ukraine one can get services using ketamine therapy in a number of clinics, but in none of the cases are we talking about testing the drug on patients. One can check information about clinical trials on the website of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The list of clinical trials conducted or ongoing in Ukraine does not include ketamine.

Previously, we analyzed a similar fake of Russian propagandists, which consisted in the fact that Time magazine allegedly published an article in which it was said that the Ukrainian military was “pumped up” with ketamine before the battle.

Social networks are spreading information that there are almost no doctors left in Poltava. According to users publishing this information, the specialists were mobilized or went abroad. The messages depict the work schedule of doctors, where only three of the full staff are supposedly working. However, this is fake.

VoxCheck disinformation experts took note of this case. According to information received from the administration of the establishment, this photo does not correspond to reality. Hospital representatives provided a valid work schedule, which did not include any absences. Information from open sources confirms that the institution did not report any shortage of personnel and the medical institution has a staff of 42 doctors.

It should also be recalled that hospitals and other medical institutions are critical infrastructure and 50% of their workers may be “protected” from mobilization.

Such fakes are aimed at undermining trust in government, mobilization and discrediting the healthcare system. Decreasing trust in government organizations is an established repertoire in propaganda against Ukraine.

Propagandists are distributing reviews of supposedly a woman from Ukraine on foreign and Ukrainian medicine on anonymous telegram channels. In it, this refugee claims that Ukraine is adopting “sloppy” European experience in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. In particular, in her words:

In Europe, early pregnancy diagnosis is not carried out, vitamin intake and iron levels in the blood of pregnant women are not monitored.

Childbirth in hospitals is artificially induced, and there is no postpartum examination.

Doctors do not recommend following a diet while breastfeeding.

However, these statements are false. Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to them. They found that both in Ukraine and in Europe, early diagnosis of pregnancy, as well as support for the mother before, during and after childbirth, are included in the standards of medical care. According to Ukrainian legislation, medical institutions are required to comply with these standards.

In Europe, there are European Standards for the Care of Newborn Health (ESCNH), which are recommended to be adapted to local conditions when developing laws, guidelines and protocols. These standards cover various aspects of maternal and child health care, including childbirth, postpartum care, intensive care, nutrition, hygiene, moral decision-making, palliative care, safety and data collection.

Early diagnosis of pregnancy and postnatal examination of mother and child (with the participation of a pediatrician) are part of European medical standards. The basis of medical practice is patient awareness and provision of counseling support. The patient is offered, rather than ordered, to undergo additional examinations or courses of vitamins.

In Ukraine, since August 2022, the Standards of Medical Care Normal Pregnancy have been in force, according to which early observation of pregnant women (up to 12 weeks) is an indicator of the quality of medical care. Postpartum care is regulated by the “Physiological Childbirth” clinical protocol, which provides for observation in the first 2 hours after birth, monitoring the well-being of mother and child, maintaining early breastfeeding and informing the mother.

Artificial induction of labor is indeed practiced and only for certain indications, such as delay in labor after 41 weeks, premature breaking of water or health problems in the mother or child.

Regarding diet, European doctors really do not advise limiting yourself in food during breastfeeding, noting a complete and balanced diet. In Ukraine, a hypoallergenic diet may be recommended if it is discovered that some foods in the mother’s diet provoke colic in the child.

Propagandists spread such disinformation to create the impression that the European way of life and Ukraine’s European integration in general are wrong. In particular, one of their narratives is that the healthcare system in Europe is terrible, and therefore it is not worth collaborating with it.

Russian telegram channels, citing unnamed Ukrainian media, disseminate information that the risk of epidemics in Ukraine is increasing due to interruptions in electricity, water supply, increasing unsanitary conditions, and a decline in the quality of medicine.

Fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this message and explained that these statements are not true. The fact-checkers were unable to find publications in Ukrainian media that discussed significant risks of the spread of infectious diseases due to temporary power outages. Such messages have only been recorded in the Russian sector of social networks.

And in June 2024, Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin, in an interview with Ukrinform, noted that there are no outbreaks of measles, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, influenza, ARVI or COVID-19 in Ukraine. In addition, Ukraine has enough vaccines against the listed diseases.

Propagandists are again spreading fake news about the Ukrainian healthcare system, in particular about organ transplantation. They claim that former CIA agent Larry Johnson, in an interview on the YouTube channel Judging Freedom, said that in Ukraine children are sold for organs or given into sexual slavery. However, his statement is not true.

This was found out by specialists from the VoxCheck project. They found an interview with Larry Johnson, where he said that the West is selling Ukrainian children to remove their organs or use them in sexual slavery. However, Larry Johnson is not a reliable source of information. He systematically discredits Ukraine by spreading fake news about the destruction of air defense systems, so-called mercenaries, and support for Russian conditions to end the war. The host of the Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom channel, Andrew Napolitano, also supports the Kremlin propaganda, in particular accusing the United States of “direct war with Russia”.

Previously, the Commissioner for Human Rights in Ukraine noted isolated cases of illegal removal of children from Ukraine, but there were no reports of their sale in Western countries. There is no evidence of child trafficking for organ removal.

The European Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) said in its 2023 report that two Ukrainian women were likely victims of sexual exploitation in the Netherlands in 2022, but it is unknown whether any of them were minors. In Poland, 5 cases of human trafficking were investigated, where two 17-year-old Ukrainian women were forced to provide sexual services. One case has been confirmed. The report contains no information about children being sold for organs in the EU, and Larry Johnson did not provide any evidence for his claims.

Propagandists spread such disinformation statements from media figures to create “false confirmation” of their messages. Allegedly, if a foreigner said it, it’s true.

Russian clinical psychologist Svitlana Kolobova stated that according to official data from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, currently 30% of military personnel at the front suffer from various mental illnesses. She also noted that such estimates may be underestimated, and Ukrainian experts allegedly do not disclose how they identified these psychological problems in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Russian propagandist Volodymyr Soloviov conveyed these statements to himself. However, these statements are unreliable.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to them. There are no data or studies confirming such statistics on the official websites of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and on social networks. The Public Health Center or the National Health Service of Ukraine have also not released any information on this matter.

So far, only statistics are available on the number of military personnel who may face mental disorders in the future, but these data were not made public by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, but by foreign and Ukrainian specialists. For example, in the report “Scars on their souls: PTSD and veterans of Ukraine”, experts from the international analytical center Globsec noted that during the ATO and Joint Forces Operation, about 25% of cases of combat stress turned into PTSD of varying severity, and from 20 to 30% of military personnel. those who received psychological trauma during hostilities were unable to solve them without the help of a specialist. According to these data, the real number of cases of PTSD in Ukraine may be more than 20%.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They say they don’t pay attention to this problem, which is becoming increasingly widespread. Russian propaganda stigmatizes the issue of mental health and tries to intimidate the local population.

In the Russian segment of social networks they add that in Ukraine they do not sell medicines without a reference from Territorial centers of procurement and social support. In their publications, the authors refer to the so-called new norms of the law on mobilization. It's a lie.

VoxCheck analysts write that the law signed on April 16, 2024 does not refer to restrictions on the purchase of goods, including medicines, without presenting military registration documents or updating data at Territorial centers of procurement and social support.

That is, in the law on mobilization there is no information that men will not be able to purchase medications at a pharmacy without a reference from the Territorial centers of procurement and social support. VoxCheck specialists asked the largest pharmacies in Ukraine whether they really do not sell medicines without such a certificate. The Podorozhnyk pharmacy chain responded that they act in accordance with current legislation, that is, they provide medicines to everyone in need. So the Russians’ statements are just part of the Kremlin’s disinformation campaign to intimidate Ukrainians and discredit the healthcare system in Ukraine.

An alleged quote from Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former adviser to several American presidents, is being circulated on social networks. According to a Facebook post, he allegedly said that global elites are preparing to cause wars, famines and epidemics around the world with the help of vaccines and chips. Fact-checkers of the Czech project Demagog.cz established that this quote was invented by Russian users of social networks, and then supplemented by Slovak ones.

“Our ultimate goal is a one world government. We will do terrible things: wars, famines and epidemics around the world. After the first, the second, third, fourth, fifth will come, until you yourself ask us for vaccines, and in the end, for chips. If only all this would finally end”, says the quote, which is distributed in Slovak.

The fictitious quote from Zbigniew Brzezinski was first distributed on the Internet in a somewhat abbreviated form - without mention of vaccines and chips, only about a “one world government” and “wars, famines and epidemics”, Demagog.cz reported. Myth Detector, a fact-checking organization, has previously refuted the authenticity of these words and found that the false quote began to spread from Russian sources back in 2012. It was first published in August 2012 by Russian publicist Mykola Kofyrin in his conspiracy blog post, and the next day the fake quote began to spread on the Russian blogging platform LiveJournal.

A post with an invitation to a protest march containing this fake quote began spreading in Facebook groups on April 6, 2024. They used the full version of the quote from vaccines and chips. A similar version first appeared on social networks in October 2020. It was mentioned without specifying a source in an interview for the Extra Plus website by Slovak entrepreneur Jan Semaniak.

Semaniak, who died in January 2024 in Slovakia, was involved in book publishing. His publishing house, Torden, has published books by Volodymyr Putin's advisers and defenders of Russian imperial ambitions. “The publishing company did not stop selling books with pro-Kremlin propaganda even after the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Semaniak himself also openly held pro-Russian views in life and liked to spread unfounded conspiracy theories”, Demagog.cz reports.

More refutations of propaganda theses and conspiracy theories can be found in the sections “Messages”, “Tactics and tools”, “Newspeak” and “Conspiracy Theories” of the Detector Media “Disinformation Chronicles”.

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.

The Russian Foundation "Anti-repression Fund"  published a pseudo-investigation that talks about the so-called secret program that Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly developed in April 2023. The goal of the program is to increase the birth rate in Ukraine due to forced insemination of women. For this purpose, the Nation of Heroes project seems to have been specially launched in Ukraine. It's a lie.

VoxCheck project specialists analyzed the case and found that the so-called Anti-repression Fund is an organization founded by Yevhenii Pryhozhyn and which, according to the Russians, should fight human rights violations in Western countries and support social activists. At the same time, the organization promotes fakes and discredits Ukraine and Western countries.

The material published by the Russians actually contains false information, fake evidence and a collection of anonymous sources.

Pro-Kremlin mass media spread information that France is allegedly threatened by an epidemic of tuberculosis, because it “was detected in Ukrainian military personnel sent to France for treatment”. According to propagandists, the infection was found in 85% of military personnel and at least 35 doctors who came into contact with them. In asserting this, Russian propaganda refers to the French radio station RFI.

In fact, this “news” is fake, writes the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. Radio France Internationale itself has already denied the information about “tuberculosis in the Ukrainian military”. They emphasized that their editorial office was subject to a coordinated information attack.

With this fake, Russian propaganda seeks to discredit the Ukrainian military and make the French hostile to them, to Ukrainian refugees, and to Ukraine in general. By the way, propagandists systematically spread misinformation about Ukrainian refugees in their host countries. So, for example, we have already refuted the information about “Ukrainian refugee women in Germany who started giving birth to children by Turks in order to obtain citizenship”. Another case is the refutation of the “news” that allegedly “a Ukrainian refugee in Germany painted Nazi symbols on residential buildings - 14/88”.

Such information is spread by propaganda telegram channels. For example, first the metro was completely flooded in the capital, then the city was flooded with sewage “on Zelenskyi's birthday”, and this time the waste spilled onto Verkhovna Rada Boulevard.

However, this information is not true, writes the Center for Strategic Communications at the National Security and Defence Council. In fact, on the night of March 26, a water main with a diameter of 600 mm was damaged on the capital's Verkhovna Rada boulevard, as reported by the Kyiv City State Administration. Water spilled onto the carriageway of the boulevard. Then specialists of “Kyivvodokanal” immediately arrived at the scene. As of noon on March 28, the Kyiv City State Administration reported that the repair of the pipeline on Verkhovna Rada Boulevard was completed, so full water supply was restored to all residential buildings on the left bank.

The purpose of spreading misinformation about the alleged total communal collapse in Ukraine and the capital in particular is to advance the narrative of a “failed state”. He said, “Russia will come and bring order”. Earlier, we refuted the information that more than 70 churches of the canonical UOC may be destroyed in Kyiv.

Propagandists are spreading information that ticks are not exterminated in the Poltava region because most of the workers have been mobilized to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There is also allegedly a problem with the provision of medical care - tick tests and treatment of Lyme disease (borreliosis) are practically not carried out in the region. However, this is a fake.

Specialists of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that there is no reason to claim that the increase in morbidity is related to the mobilization of workers. The problem with the treatment of parks and squares depends on the local authorities and can be solved through agreements with contracting organizations. Even in conditions of full-scale war, tests and treatment of Lyme disease, which is one of the infectious diseases transmitted by ticks, are carried out.

In the Poltava region, there is indeed an increase in cases of Lyme disease, but this is an all-Ukrainian trend. In 2023, almost 5,000 cases of Lyme disease were registered in Ukraine - approximately 12 cases per 100,000 population. Incidence in the Poltava region (36.97 per 100,000 population) is the highest in Ukraine. In 2023, 497 cases of Lyme disease were reported in the region, compared to 367 cases in 2022. In 2022, 3,875 cases were recorded in the country (9.3 cases per 100,000 population).

Also, in the Poltava region, areas where there are natural foci of diseases transmitted by ticks have been identified. Insects that carry the causative agent of Lyme disease are found in every district of the region. Tick-borne viral encephalitis is less common. Myrhorod and Poltava districts, as well as the city of Poltava, are risk areas. Ticks can also transmit other diseases, but not all of them are carriers of pathogens.

It is important to see the doctor and take a prophylactic course of antibiotics if you develop symptoms of Lyme disease. Vaccination is the best protection, especially for those who are often outdoors.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine. Detector Media wrote what other fakes Russian propaganda invented for this.

Propagandists are disseminating information that Western pharmaceutical companies allegedly conducted dangerous experiments with drugs for rheumatoid arthritis on patients in the psychiatric ward of Hospital No. 7 in Mariupol. It is noted that the drug “could contribute to the occurrence of cancers of the lymphatic and hematopoietic systems”, but the “research subjects” were not informed about this. “Documents” have emerged that, according to propagandists, indicate the “criminal activities” of these pharmaceutical companies. Among them is a brochure that supposedly confirms the risk of lymphoma, leukemia and other diseases of the hematopoietic system. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that this study was not conducted at the psychiatric ward of Hospital No. 7 in Mariupol, as propagandists claim. Claims regarding the use of children and the mentally ill in experiments are false. According to Ukrainian legislation, participants in clinical trials must be fully informed about the risks and possible side effects of the drugs being tested.

Propagandists spread fake news to discredit Ukraine’s Western partners and cause panic among the population. They say that Ukrainians are testing biological weapons, and Russia is saving them from precisely this. However, this fake does not correspond to the legislation of Ukraine and reality.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on anonymous telegram channels claim that the Ukrainian military is given the drug ketamine so that they will not be afraid of battle. They write that “Time magazine, citing neuroscientists from the United States, stated that the Ukrainian command uses ketamine “at zero front line”; it is a specific hallucinogenic drug”. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that propagandists distorted the content of the article, which actually talked about the use of ketamine in the treatment of veterans and military personnel in Ukraine.

The Time article noted that “psychedelic drugs may help troops overcome trauma” in war and that “some (Ukraine) military personnel have already received legal ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with some hallucinogenic effects, in private clinics”. This applies to the treatment of military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or having a traumatic brain injury. However, the massive use of ketamine in therapy has not yet been considered in Ukraine.

Regarding the use of drugs by military personnel in combat, Time mentions in its article a report alleging that Russian soldiers in Ukraine are given amphetamines before combat.

In Ukraine, there is still an ongoing debate about this method of treatment, as StopFake notes. In particular, previously the initiator of the introduction of psychedelic-assisted therapy, a doctor at the State Center for Psychological Health and Rehabilitation of Veterans “Lisova Haliavyna” of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Kseniia Voznytska, explained that this topic is very stigmatized in Ukraine and that most people do not even know what psychedelic-assisted therapy is. This is an inpatient type of treatment under the supervision of psychotherapists.

Propagandists from time to time spread misinformation that Ukrainian military personnel are drug addicts and alcoholics because they cannot withstand the horrors of the front. These false reports are intended to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces, hinder mobilization in the country and demoralize Ukrainian society as a whole. Detector Media has already refuted such a fake before.

Information is being spread online that the United States supplies the Ukrainian Armed Forces with large quantities of the painkiller Nalbuphine. The authors of the “news” write that the substance is used to extend the “shelf life” of organs, for their further transportation and sale on the black market. The Ukrainian military man is allegedly first injected with the drug, and then the active substance “preserves the organs for their further removal”. However, this is fake.

There are no studies that prove that Nalbuphine can be used for the preservation of donor organs. Specialists from the VoxCheck project write about this. In addition, it is not clear what propagandists mean by “preservation” of organs in the human body and why they should be preserved in humans at all. After all, in Ukraine, transplantation operations are performed after brain death is declared (in the case of posthumous donation). At the same time, the heart continues to function and support the vital functions of the organs, so in this case “preservation” is not necessary.

This drug is not new; it was approved in the USA back in 1979. And in Ukraine, it has been in the first aid kits of the Ukrainian military since 2014. In the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it can most likely be used to reduce pain in the pre- and postoperative period or as an addition to anesthesia, but certainly not for organ preservation.

In general, the Russians have been spreading the message about black transplantology in Ukraine, in particular in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, since 2014. This fake propaganda echoes others like it about the “functioning of American biological laboratories in Ukraine” or about “combat mosquitoes”, for example. The purpose of such information dumps is to demonize the West, including the United States in our case, and Ukraine. More details about the propaganda campaign of information influence “Black Transplantology” can be found in the study of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council.

We also previously refuted information about the activities of black transplantologists in Sieverodonetsk. Then all the evidence presented in the propaganda video was fabricated.

Information is being spread online that Ukrainian doctors are allegedly en masse demanding a bribe from the mobilized for recording diseases at the Military Medical Commission. This was apparently stated by the head of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Viktor Liashko.

In reality, Viktor Liashko did not say this, according to experts on the VoxCheck project. The information disseminated online contains a frame from the minister’s interview on the “We are Ukraine” YouTube channel back on June 29, 2023. This interview concerned protection from radiation, the situation in the territories flooded after the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station and the medical system. However, there was no talk about the work of the Ukrainian military medical commissions.

On March 4, 2024, Liashko announced that an inspection of the Ukrainian military medical commissions in the city of Kyiv began. “This decision is due to the increase in the number of complaints we have been receiving recently. The main ones concern basic things that can be quickly corrected if desired. This includes non-compliance with the electronic queue and the lack of basic conditions for comfortable passage of the Ukrainian military medical commissions, and unoptimized routes”, said the minister. He also noted that the corruption component does not go unnoticed, however, he did not give quantitative estimates and did not call corruption “massive”.

Moreover, back on January 10, 2024, Viktor Liashko answered questions from journalists, in particular, regarding corruption during the Ukrainian military medical commissions. There was no mention of any widespread corruption cases.

Viktor Liashko announced a change in the approach to conducting commissions to optimize the procedure and prevent the emergence of corruption. Thus, a separate package has been developed within the framework of the Medical Guarantee Program, which makes it possible to assign a separate health care institution to each Territorial center for recruitment and social support. All visits are recorded in the electronic healthcare system, which should reduce corruption risks when passing a medical commission.

If a suspicion of a violation arises, for example, a medical examination of a person liable for military service is carried out for more than 4 days, then the data is additionally transmitted to the health departments. They work with the chairmen of the Ukrainian military medical commissions for a specific institution. To combat corruption during medical examinations, the Ministry of Health also cooperates with law enforcement agencies.

To summarize, there really is a problem of corruption, but there is no way to assess how widespread it is. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine is focused on organizational issues that can be resolved quickly enough and ensure a clear process for passing a medical examination. Then, according to the minister, each request received by the hotline of the Ministry of Health and the National Health Service on the quality of medical examinations will be examined in more detail. “We have the ability and competence to check what is happening in each commission. Based on the results, we will make management decisions”, the minister emphasized on March 6, 2024, on the air of the United News telethon.

Previously, we refuted information that drugs were allegedly tested on Mariupol residents in the interests of Western companies.

Propagandists are spreading information according to which Ukraine is allegedly facing a catastrophe due to the spread of tularemia and leptospirosis. According to them, in northern Ukraine, these diseases began to spread due to the large number of rats living in landfills in the vicinity of cities. Another report on this topic states that a garbage truck driver discovered a corpse at a landfill in the Rivne region. Propagandists say that this event allegedly caused shock among Rivne police officers, who were conducting “educational conversations” with local residents. They say that several more corpses were found at the landfill, around which there were a bunch of rats. The reports cite law enforcement officers who allegedly claim that “the landfill will come close to the city, and with it a bunch of rats that carry all kinds of diseases”. However, this information is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to this. At the time of writing the original refutation material, there was not a single case of tularemia in Ukraine, and there was not a single case of leptospirosis. An article about the spread of these diseases in the Volyn region was published in 2018.

A reverse photo search revealed a message published by the Rivne region police on March 1st. This message states that on February 29 in the city of Dubno, a utility worker died as a result of a traffic accident at a local landfill. It was not possible to confirm other information contained in the message, namely about the discovery of other corpses and the number of rats in the landfill.

Tularemia and leptospirosis are serious infectious diseases and their spread can have serious health consequences. For prevention, it is important to follow the rules of personal hygiene and avoid contact with the causative agents of these diseases.

Propagandists spread such fake news to discredit Ukrainian local authorities and cause panic among the population.

Propagandists on anonymous telegram channels, where they spread pro-Russian rhetoric, are distributing a screenshot of a message from an individual who is allegedly a volunteer of the 110th territorial defense brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and is surprised that wounded military personnel are being taken for treatment to Zaporizhzhia, and not to Kharkiv. They say that it was this brigade that the Russians “destroyed” in Avdiivka, so it would be more logical to take the wounded to Kharkiv, and not halfway across the country to Zaporizhzhia. Russian media indicate that the command chose this strategy due to the fact that Kharkiv doctors allegedly help the military desert and hide in the big city. However, all this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that these statements are part of the Kremlin's disinformation campaign. For example, a person who is called a volunteer of the 110th territorial defense forces brigade is actually a journalist from Zaporizhzhia. Russian media also mixed up the brigade that served in Avdiivka.

In light of this, VoxCheck notes that the medical evacuation of Ukrainian military personnel is under threat due to constant Russian shelling, often aimed at medical facilities. This creates very difficult conditions for providing care to the wounded. Russians use such methods, in particular, to discredit the Ukrainian healthcare system.

A fake is being spread on Georgian social networks and the American edition of The Chicago Chronicle, which was refuted in Ukraine two weeks ago. Fact-checkers of the Georgian project Myth Detector told about its appearance.

In the first week of February, Ukrainian social media users circulated a video about the alleged death of 40 children in Ukraine as a result of vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine. In the video, a woman who introduced herself as an employee of the Kyiv office of Pfizer claimed that children in Ukraine were being administered an experimental vaccine under the guise of a flu vaccine. The fact-checkers contacted the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, where they objected that the heroine of the video works for them, and also did not confirm the information from social networks.

An employee of the Kyiv office of Pfizer, Anna Sakhno, claimed that children in Ukraine are being administered an experimental vaccine as an immunization against influenza without the knowledge of parents and medical personnel. In the video, the woman shows documents that show that during the second stage of trials, the mortality rate among vaccinated people was 4-5%. Considering that more than 1,000 children were vaccinated, the number of deaths must be at least 40-50 children.

However, Pfizer, at the request of StopFake, denied that Anna Sakhno works for them. In addition, Pfizer reported that it does not conduct clinical trials in Ukraine that could lead to the death of children. The main source of the allegation about the death of 40 children in Ukraine due to experimental Pfizer vaccination is a video on TikTok, where a woman in medical clothing and with a mask on her face claims that the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and even President Zelenskyi personally closely cooperate with Pfizer know about this, providing the company all necessary data on electronic registers of Kyiv hospitals.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security of Ukraine also denied this information as false.

The dissemination of such information is part of an information war aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian authorities and misleading the public.

Propagandists are spreading information on social networks that Pfizer, together with the Ukrainian government, is conducting research on Ukrainian children. Like, an employee of the Kyiv office of Pfizer reported this in her TikTok. According to her, a vaccine has been developed in Germany, which is being tested on Ukrainians as a flu shot, and more than 40 children have already died from it. Such tests are carried out in violation of moral and medical standards. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the video with such information was posted on a private channel in TikTok, so it was impossible to view it. However, a recording of Anna Sakhno’s story can be found on YouTube. It was posted by an anonymous user registered online in early February 2024. This is his first and only video. Anonymity and the absence of other content may indicate that the account is fake and specifically created to spread false information.

An appeal from an alleged “Ukrainian Pfizer employee” is also being spread in the English-language segment. The source there is, in particular, an article from the Chicago Chronicle. However, this resource is also fake, as evidenced by a number of signs. The Chicago Chronicle is a well-known local newspaper in Chicago, but it was published from 1895-1907. The site, it claims, has been around since 2021, but the first news appeared on it just two weeks ago. One can also see news categories on the site, but there are publications in only three of them: Business, Politics and Health, the other categories are empty.

There are other signs that a site is fake. For example, the “About Us” section is written in Latin, and the translation of the description shows that it is a set of individual sentences. All links below the page are inactive. Additionally, the study used an outdated Pfizer logo. If this was a current publication, it would use the organization's new logo, introduced in 2021.

So far, no clinical studies are being conducted at the Kyiv representative office of Pfizer. According to the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, not a single company in Ukraine is testing vaccines to prevent influenza.

Propagandists spread such fake news to intimidate society and cause panic. In addition, in this way they justify Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Russian media write that rheumatological drugs for large Western pharmacological companies were tested on patients at Hospital No. 7 in Mariupol. Everything happened between 2008 and 2016. In asserting this, propagandists refer to “documents that were found at the site of the reconstruction of the hospital”.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Security analyzed this information. As it turned out, Russian propaganda did not provide any real evidence to support this news. The reference to the mythical “workers who found the test documents” cannot be an official source. The documents themselves have not been made public, so we can conclude that they simply do not exist.

In addition, a search for information about “drug research on patients in Mariupol hospitals” in open sources also did not yield results. It should be noted that in Ukraine no one has conducted or is conducting experiments on people. In particular, such cases were not recorded either in the Luhansk region or in the Donetsk region.

This fake propaganda piece echoes others like it about “the functioning of American biological laboratories in Ukraine”, “black transplantology”, “combat mosquitoes”, etc. The purpose of such information dumps is to demonize the West and Ukraine. On the other hand, propagandists are trying to once again assure everyone that “Ukraine is a puppet state”, so Western countries supposedly allow themselves to do whatever they want on its territory.

Anonymous Telegram channels are distributing screenshots of correspondence allegedly in which a doctor at Kharkiv Hospital No. 3 talks about how the surgical department provides medical care to wounded foreign military personnel, in particular Poles. The authors of the fake publications conclude that the facility is “isolated” for civilian patients.

The VoxCheck specialists contacted the hospital department, where they were told that the information about the treatment of Polish or military personnel of other nationalities was not true. Moreover, there is no surgical department in this hospital, the propagandists simply made it up.

And the screenshot of the “correspondence” is extremely dubious. It does not include the user's name or photo to potentially identify the likely identity of the doctor. The Kremlin’s minions could easily simulate and invent this dialogue, just like the fake itself.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading a story about allegedly black transplantation in temporarily occupied Sievierodonetsk, when it was under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Propagandists claim to have found consent forms for the removal of organs and body tissues, allegedly filled out on behalf of Ukrainian army soldiers in 2022. The plot also features witnesses to black transplantation who seem to talk about how it all happened.

In fact, this plot has been staged. It contains fake heroes and evidence. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation. In general, Russians have been spreading the message about black transplantology in Ukraine, in particular in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, since 2014. The goal is to discredit the military-political leadership of Ukraine and create a negative image of the state in the eyes of the international community.

To promote its lies, Russian propaganda systematically uses staged stories, fake articles and news distributed by Kremlin-controlled resources. More information about the propaganda campaign of information influence “Black Transplantology” can be found in the study of the Center for Countering Disinformation.

• Read also: The medical mission of FRIDA Ukraine is allegedly engaged in the transfer of organs

Users of social networks are disseminating information that allegedly Greek Catholics of Ukraine were exempted from mobilization. They say that proof of this is that the Kyiv Three Hierarchs Theological Seminary received a license from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine to conduct higher education in the Theology specialty. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that indeed, by order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated January 15, 2024, the Kyiv Three Hierarchs Theological Seminary of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) received a state license and was registered in the Unified State Electronic Database of Education. However, this does not mean that members of the Greek Catholic Church are exempt from the obligation to serve in the army according to constitutional requirements.

Lawyer of the Miller law firm Andrii Novak notes in a commentary to Ukrainska Pravda that, according to the legislation of Ukraine, religious beliefs do not exempt an individual from the obligation to defend the state. The country's constitution guarantees the equality of all citizens before the law and prohibits discrimination on religious grounds. The current version of the laws on mobilization preparation and mobilization does not provide for any exceptions for believers. The obligation to serve in the army is the same for both believers and non-believers.

At the same time, Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine provides for the possibility of replacing military service with alternative (non-military) service if the performance of military duty contradicts the religious beliefs of a citizen. There is a list of religious organizations whose supporters are prohibited not only from using, but even picking up weapons. The Greek Catholic Church is not included in this list. However, this rule applies only to conscript service in peacetime.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to arouse public distrust in government decisions and discredit the mobilization process in the country. Detector Media has already refuted other Russian fakes on mobilization.

Russian telegram channels continue to talk about the unknown disease X and claim that Ukraine is preparing to confront the virus in close cooperation with Washington. In addition, propagandists are calling on Ukrainians to rethink the potential pandemic, which they claim could be another commercial project of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health for further human experimentation. However, this is not true.

The message was noticed by specialists from the VoxCheck project. They found out that Disease X is not a commercial project; it was first mentioned back in 2018. In addition, Ukraine is collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO) to prepare for the possible spread of an unknown disease.

The Russians' statements are manipulative. Ukraine does not have “close” cooperation with the United States regarding possible cases of disease X, as propagandists write about it. In addition, unknown pathogen X is not a new phenomenon; WHO first mentioned it in 2018. Disease X is the conventional name for a pathogen that is not yet known to people, but may cause a pandemic in the future. At the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 17, 2024, the threat of a possible pandemic from disease X was discussed. WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted the need for joint measures by countries to prepare for this scenario.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine is working together with WHO to prevent the spread of dangerous pathogens. In Ukraine there are national and regional laboratories that diagnose infectious diseases and study antibiotic resistance. Health Minister Viktor Liashko notes the importance of working on new strategies to prepare for a possible pandemic and the problem of antibiotic resistance.

By supporting such conspiracy theories, propagandists want to intimidate society and cause people to distrust international institutions. Detector Media has repeatedly written about other conspiracy theories that are spread by Russian propaganda against Ukraine.

Propagandists are actively disseminating information that The Times predicts that after the end of the war, half of the Ukrainian population will face mental illness. In addition, social networks are spreading the claim that Uliana Suprun, who served as the acting Minister of Health of Ukraine from 2016 to 2019, led to the death of Ukrainian medicine by destroying hospitals and rehabilitation institutions in the country. However, this is not true.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to this. They found out that in an article dated January 27, journalist Anthony Lloyd talks about the psychological problems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, the statistics that 50% of Ukrainians face mental problems are not mentioned. According to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, between 3 and 4 million people in Ukraine (including military and civilian) require mental health care. It is estimated that up to 15 million Ukrainians may need psychological help after the war ends.

There are public and private centers in Ukraine that provide assistance to military and civilians with psychological trauma. Also, the state budget for 2024 provides 2.6 billion hryvnia for activities for mental, sports, physical, psychological rehabilitation and professional adaptation of military personnel and members of their families. In addition, Ukraine’s partners are ready to help overcome the psychological consequences of the war. For example, NATO member countries are exploring the possibility of funding recommended measures to improve the health care system in Ukraine in the area of mental health.

Propagandists spread such disinformation to intimidate Ukrainian society into accepting Russia's conditions. Detector Media has previously written about how Russian propaganda stigmatizes the topic of mental health.

This information is published by pro-Russian resources and supported by “evidence”: a fragment of a video with an alleged comment by the head of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, on the air of a telethon. Basic Russian-made medicines are also imported into the territory of the Zaporizhzhia region in large quantities.

In fact, the Melitopol mayor did not say anything like this during the telethon, because such a video simply does not exist, and there are no comments on this topic on his official communication channel. This was brought to the attention of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. The video itself was made using the deepfake method. It can be viewed here. The video shows facial expressions that are not typical for humans, a lack of speech pauses, and desynchronization of lips and direct speech. In addition, the video is of low quality, the date and time of inclusion are blurred. The last broadcast, where Fedorov commented on the medical situation in Melitopol, was on December 16, 2023. There he spoke, in particular, about the fact that the Russians are conducting medical experiments on Melitopol residents.

Thus, propagandists strive to assure that “Russia will come and restore order”. However, the reality is somewhat different. Considering the atrocities of the Russians in Bucha, Hostomel and Izium, it can be argued that this war is genocidal in nature, and Moscow’s ultimate goal is the complete destruction of the Ukrainian people.

• Read also: In Italy, a propaganda exhibition about Mariupol “revived” by the occupiers was banned.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric disseminate information that viral pneumonia is “massively spreading” in the Kharkiv region. As evidence, they add a photo allegedly from a Ukrainian military doctor in an ambulance with people who “get pneumonia”. And they claim that local doctors cannot fully determine what kind of disease it is: they suggest that it may be a form of COVID-19 or another disease. It is not true.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project investigated the case and found out that there are no statistics yet on the number of people infected with any type of pneumonia. Moreover, in the Kharkiv region, influenza and COVID-19 diseases do not exceed the epidemic threshold. And using a reverse search on Google, analysts found the original source of the photo - on Facebook, a military man posted a photo of an ambulance and wrote that he pulled a fellow soldier from the battlefield who had a fever due to pneumonia. According to the author of the message, after treatment the guy recovered and returned to service.

That is, the anonymous people used a reliable photograph that illustrates a military man suffering from pneumonia, but distorted the context in their own way. Allegedly, disease epidemics are approaching in Ukraine.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are distributing a photo of an “announcement” allegedly posted in one of the Kyiv hospitals. It says that from the beginning of 2024 it seems impossible to get to a doctor “without a military ID”. The “announcement” refers to the so-called Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 147 of December 26, 2023. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck analysts investigated the case and found out that such a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers simply does not exist. There are only three documents on the government portal for the specified period (26.12.2023). However, they in no way relate to the procedure for visiting medical institutions. Moreover, only those liable for military service have a military ID. That is, this is a person who has served in the military, has a military education, or has reached 27 years of age. In other cases - if the man has not reached the specified age, and also without military service or education, is a conscript and has a registration certificate. At the same time, after 60 years of age, men no longer become liable for military service - they are removed from the register. That is, it is illogical to demand a military ID from men during an appointment with a therapist, because everyone has such a document. Therefore, the announcement photos were most likely compiled using image editors.

But according to the director of the Department of Health of the Ternopil Military District, Olha Yarmolenko, for planned care (long-term treatment or planned surgery), military registration documents, including a military ID, may be requested from men of military age. The VoxCheck specialists add: according to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of December 30, 2022, this is necessary for the timely maintenance of military records.

Moreover, men do not need a military ID to sign a declaration with a family doctor. All one needs is a passport, identification code and telephone number.

Russian anonymous telegram channels report, with reference to the Ukrainian charitable organization Future for Ukraine, that in Ukraine they are allegedly “brainwashing Ukrainian women with the aim of committing abortions in case of pregnancy from a Russian”. “You don’t have to keep a little katsap (a Russian) inside you: this is not an abortion, but the elimination of the Russians”, propaganda quotes its  advertising campaign. However, this is fake.

StopFake contacted it for comment and received a response that this was a fake publication. The GIDNA project, also listed in the fake ad, “in no way advocates for abortion or decisions related to the personal choice of a survivor of sexual violence at the hands of Russian occupiers”. The GIDNA project provides exclusively professional anonymous psychological assistance to women and is designed to help overcome the consequences of the trauma of violence. All official information is posted on the website www.gidna.org.

The fact that such advertising does not exist can be seen using the advertising library in Meta. The foundation did have an advertisement for the GIDNA project, launched in December 2023, but there was no call for abortion in the text of the advertisement - it was invented by propagandists.

They spread such fake news to ridicule the problem of sexual violence by the Russian army and devalue its scale. Detector Media has previously written about how else Russian propaganda uses this topic.

Accusations have appeared on the Internet regarding the FRIDA Ukraine medical mission project, which receives support from the UN Development Program and the Japanese government. The accusations are that the mission, instead of providing medical care to people in the front-line territories, is allegedly engaged in “organ transplants”. The underlying assumption behind these accusations is that Japan needs donors, while Israeli doctors are recognized as the best transplant surgeons in the world.

However, these accusations are unfounded. Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to this. The Ukrainian-Israeli medical mission FRIDA Ukraine was founded by Israelis Roman Goldman and Mark Nevy; it unites 980 doctors from Ukraine and Israel. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, they have been providing medical care to children, people with disabilities and the elderly in the hottest spots of Ukraine. It is important to note that they do not perform organ transplants.

With the support of the Government of Japan and the UN Development Program, the organization is implementing only one of its projects - “Strengthening awareness of the acceptance and understanding of mine victims among volunteer doctors, members of territorial communities and the general public”. The project does not involve any operations or transplants, and its goal is to raise awareness among volunteer doctors and community members about the rules of working and interacting with victims of mine-explosive activities, purchasing equipment and attracting public attention to this problem. The implementation of the project includes training and an information campaign on the Internet.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit Ukrainian doctors and the government in general. This is not the first time they accuse the Ukrainian side of “black transplantology”, as Detector Media has already written about.

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.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on anonymous telegram channels disseminated information that supposedly in Lutsk law enforcement officers exposed the activities of a drug laboratory in which, according to them, servicemen of the 14th separate mechanized brigade worked. It's fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that in the fake, propagandists refer to the original article from the Volyn News website for November 9, 2023. It says that on November 8, the Volyn region police exposed the activities of drug laboratories. However, firstly, this article makes no mention of the military personnel of the 14th separate mechanized brigade. Secondly, propagandists claim that the laboratories were exposed in Lutsk, although the head of the department for combating drug crime in the Volyn region, Oleh  Zubko, stated that the searches were carried out in the Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions. Thirdly, none of the sources confirms the involvement of servicemen of the 14th Mechanized Brigade in the identified laboratories.

They also found several publications in other media about this National Police operation, and none of them mentioned soldiers from the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to discredit the Ukrainian armed forces. They say that soldiers cannot survive what they saw in the war and integrate into Ukrainian society. Detector Media also refuted other fakes with a similar message, including that the military was allegedly buying up antidepressants en masse.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks claim that Volyn residents supposedly need to collect at least 200 liters of blood for the wounded in the 14th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighting near Kupiansk. The regional media Volyn Post allegedly wrote about this. However, it was discovered that the data was fake, and speculation about “colossal losses” was not confirmed.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. They found out that in early November, VolynPost actually published an appeal for Volyn residents to donate blood to support military personnel. In particular, the Volodymyr Territorial Medical Association reported that the Volodymyr department of transfusion assistance really needs donor blood of all groups and the Rh minus factor. However, the original message did not indicate the blood volume or weight of the donor, and the screenshot of the news was edited.

In fact, the donor may weigh at least 50 kg, not 200 kg as stated in the fake message. In addition, the minimum dose size for blood collection from one donor is 450 ml, and this figure does not indicate the real need of the military. Therefore, the conclusions about “400 wounded” and “colossal losses” are unconfirmed.

The VoxCheck experts note that the donation system works more efficiently when donors donate blood regularly, and not just in case of emergency. Currently, Ukraine has a system of planned donation to maintain a sustainable level of blood supplies. The need for donated blood may vary depending on the circumstances, so the Ministry of Health, the Ukrainian Transplant Coordination Center and blood centers may use different communication mechanisms with citizens.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to create the false impression of Ukraine's failure on the battlefield. All this in order to force Ukrainian society to agree to end the war on Russia’s terms.

In the Russian segment of social networks, information is being disseminated that a quarantine has allegedly been declared in seven regions of Ukraine due to the spread of scarlet fever. Screenshots of the alleged TSN story about the introduction of quarantine are added to the publications. It's a lie.

The analysts of the VoxCheck project examined this case and determined that as of November 21, 2023, quarantine was not introduced in any region of Ukraine due to scarlet fever. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine reported that the spread of the disease is not an emergency; scarlet fever is a seasonal disease, so infection is registered in Ukraine every year. For example, over 10 months of 2023, 375 cases of scarlet fever were registered in the capital, most of them among preschoolers and students.

As for the photographs of the news story, they are compiled. This is indicated by several elements: for example, the design of the text block and the font differ from the original one, which is used by TSN media workers to design news materials; and with the help of a reverse search on Google, it was possible to establish that the footage of the fake story actually belongs to a series of information materials about the introduction of quarantine in 2018 due to the flu outbreak and in 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Propagandists have long been speculating on the topic of health care, in particular lying about “disease outbreaks” in order to provoke panic and distrust of the authorities. It seems that the Ukrainian leadership is not able to cope with the provision of decent treatment or prevention of diseases.

By the way, the Ministry of Health explained that scarlet fever is an acute infectious disease, manifested by damage to the tonsils, an empty mouth and a characteristic rash. In most cases, scarlet fever begins suddenly. You can find out more detailed information and what to do if you  suspect scarlet fever here.

Read also: a series of epidemics will begin in Ukraine “due to cuts in medical funding”.

According to such reports, the shortage of medicines allegedly arose against the backdrop of Ukraine’s refusal to use medicines produced in Russia or Belarus, as well as due to complicated logistics. In addition, the letters contain advice on how traditional medicine can help in this case. This is the Russian IPSO.

The case was worked on by the Center for Countering Disinformation and noted that the Ministry of Health of Ukraine itself had already managed to refute this information. They reported that in fact there is no shortage of medicine, and added: Ukrainians have access to original and high-quality medicines both in pharmacies and in medical institutions.

The purpose of this pseudo-mailing is to discredit the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and sow panic among Ukrainians. Previously, we analyzed the message of Russian propaganda that expired medicines are allegedly being imported into Ukraine, which is why people are allegedly  dying.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric in the media claim that, according to the results of a sociological survey by Global Service and European Migration Support Bureau, a third of Ukrainian youth have migrated to Russia. In addition, the majority of Ukrainian refugees there allegedly recognized Russian aggression as “liberation”, and among the reasons for migration they named “better medicine” and “less unemployment” in Russia. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the companies supposedly conducting this survey did not exist, and the information about the survey itself was fictitious. The incorrect information also indicates that the name of the European Migration Support Bureau is misspelled (probably European instead of European). Structures with similar names that deal with refugee issues do exist (for example, the European Union Agency for Asylum and the European Asylum Support Office), but none of them published the data indicated.

In addition, the very fact of conducting such a study is questionable, since Russian media admit that the survey involved Ukrainians who “traveled to the territory of Crimea or former Ukrainian regions that later joined Russia”. This does not reflect the actual situation, since many refugees ended up in Russia due to the lack of alternative evacuation routes.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to justify Russia’s crimes by saying that it is allegedly ready to create a better life for Ukrainians, ignoring the problems of its citizens.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on anonymous telegram channels claim that employers can now force pregnant Ukrainian women to work until the child is born through a new bill passed by the Verkhovna Rada. However, this is manipulation.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that such information was untrue. According to the new order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, women can independently decide whether to go on leave from the 30th week of pregnancy, or choose another date to start their maternity leave. Previously, women who were 30 weeks pregnant and under the supervision of a doctor received from them a medical certificate of temporary incapacity for work in the category “pregnancy and childbirth”. After receiving it, the woman was obliged to go on maternity leave. Pregnant women could continue working if they wished, but then the number of days on maternity leave was reduced by as many days as they worked. The size of the benefit in this case also decreased, because it depended on the number of days of vacation. In July of this year, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill according to which, if desired and in case of medical contraindications, part of the maternity leave, namely the 70 days provided before childbirth, can be postponed and used after it. The total duration of maternity leave should be no more than 126 calendar days and 140 days for the birth of two or more children or complicated births.

Propagandists extend such manipulations to create a negative impression of the healthcare system in Ukraine. In addition, in this way they also want to create distrust in the Ukrainian government regarding changes in the country. They say that this government is not worth fighting for, because it harms the people. Detector Media also refuted other manipulations related to the healthcare system in Ukraine.

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a shipment of humanitarian medical aid, namely anesthesia drugs, was allegedly delivered to Ukraine; their expiration date has supposedly expired. The authors of the reports claim that due to the use of expired drugs, “in one day in Dnipro, 12 people died after anesthesia”. And in Kharkiv, five deaths seem to have been registered as a result of using the drug.

Analysts from the StopFake project took up the case and explained: the authors of the fake publication did not provide any confirmation regarding the information about the expired batch of humanitarian aid medicines. However, experts suggest that the basis for creating this stuff was the situation in Dnipro, when in one of the clinics, after planned operations, 11 patients ended up in intensive care. According to the regional prosecutor's office, one of the patients, an 11-year-old boy, died. The State Service of Ukraine for Medicines and Drug Control then reported that patients suffered a severe adverse reaction to medications used during surgical interventions. Doctors were unable to save two patients.

However, this case has nothing to do with the import of low-quality medicines into Ukraine through humanitarian aid. The civil service has temporarily banned the sale and use of several batches of medications that are likely to have caused severe adverse reactions during operations. The pre-trial investigation is currently ongoing.

By speculating on this situation, propagandists seek to demonstrate that in Ukraine as a state, supposedly, no one is interested and even partner countries are ready to supply expired medicines. At the same time, the authors hint at the contrived inability of the Ukrainian healthcare system to conduct audits of supplied medicinal products. After all, this is how the Kremlin’s henchmen nurture mistrust of Ukraine among consumers of disinformation.

Read our other documented case: Ukrainian soldiers allegedly suffer from HIV en masse because they are offered free testing.

This thesis was spread by pro-Kremlin media. The reports say that Ukraine does not care about the medical field and it is gradually “declining” - and then epidemics of various diseases will soon begin. They wrote that outbreaks of hepatitis A were already allegedly observed in five Ukrainian cities and recognized that this was an epidemic. They also refer to the statement of the general director of the Kyiv City Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Serhii Chumak, who stated a high probability of a measles outbreak in Ukraine in 2023.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project analyzed this case and explained that in the 2024 budget, funding for medicine, on the contrary, was increased, and the highlighted facts about measles and hepatitis A contain manipulations or lies.

For example, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine actually reported an outbreak of hepatitis A in Vinnytsia. But the situation was defined as an emergency at the regional level; there was no talk of an epidemic at all. And, as experts explained, cases of hepatitis A are recorded in Ukraine every year - this is a seasonal disease that most often spreads in the cold season. The disease is usually spread by unwashed hands or by using or drinking contaminated water.

As for a possible measles outbreak, Serhii Chumak actually talked about it. In general, the disease is cyclical, and the last outbreaks were recorded in 2018-2019. Over the nine months of 2023, 46 people fell ill with measles in Ukraine - this figure is four times more than was recorded for the entire 2022. Analysts note that the risk of an outbreak is not due to a lack of funding or doctors, but to the low level of measles vaccination.

This thesis was spread on social networks in the Russian segment. Reports say that female doctors are leaving Ukraine en masse for the temporarily occupied territories. In support of this thesis, a video is cited: a recording of a telephone conversation with a so-called doctor, a woman, from the Lviv region, who allegedly wants to go to temporarily occupied Mariupol and is looking for an apartment to live in. The authors argued that the woman allegedly received a draft notice and therefore she wanted to leave.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project dealt with this case. They explained that female doctors and pharmacists should indeed register with the military from October 1, 2023, but registration with the military does not mean mobilization or the establishment of restrictions on traveling abroad. The Ministry of Health notes: registration is necessary only to summarize data on the existing reserve of doctors in the country. The travel of this category of women is unlimited.

Therefore, most likely, the video is staged. After all, women are not mobilized in Ukraine  although the heroine of the video, during a telephone conversation, used the argument about mobilization as one of the main reasons for her irresistible desire to “escape” from Ukraine. In addition, this video is distributed only in the Russian segment of social networks. Experts cited other points from the telephone conversation:

For example, a woman said that she was only interested in an apartment in a new building and thus hinted that Russia was rebuilding Mariupol - a city that the occupiers really destroyed to the ground. Read in our Newspeak section how Moscow actually “rebuilds”  captured and destroyed cities and villages, calling them “a piece of paradise”.

Of course, it is almost impossible to verify the authenticity of the recording of a telephone conversation, since we can only refute the facts listed during the conversation. And this information includes false facts that, most likely, the Kremlin can use for its own purposes. For example, spread panic among Ukrainian women.

Russian propagandists spread information that there was an outbreak of hepatitis A in Vinnytsia and note that “the reasons are simple - biolaboratories and destroyed medicine” in Ukraine. This is a fake.

As noted by the fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project, people with hepatitis A are indeed hospitalized in Vinnytsia, since October 16, 280 cases of infection have been recorded. However, the cause of the outbreak of this disease is currently being investigated, and the necessary measures are being taken. It was for this purpose that the team of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine headed by Ihor Kuzin arrived in Vinnytsia on October 28.

Outbreaks of hepatitis A are not a sign that medicine is “destroyed” in Ukraine, because such outbreaks were recorded in 2022 in the USA in the following states: California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. In 2023, it occurred in California, Arizona, Minnesota, and North Dakota. And the cause of the outbreak was strawberries imported from Mexico.

Tetiana Bondarenko, deputy director of the Department of Health Care and Rehabilitation of the Regional Military Administration, reported that the situation is under control. Moreover, the Vinnytsia region received from the Ministry 1,060 doses of vaccine for vaccinations of doctors involved in the elimination of the outbreak, and 1,100 doses of vaccine for vaccination of children. And if necessary, the necessary amount of vaccines from other regions will be redirected to Vinnytsia. This fact shows that the health care system works in Ukraine.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes about biolaboratories in Ukraine. In this way, propagandists are trying to sow panic among Ukrainians, saying that biolaboratories are now not only harming Russians, but have also destroyed Ukrainian medicine. And as a result - diseases that cannot be cured. Earlier, we wrote about the manipulation that the authorities are destroying traces of US military biological laboratories in Odesa.

Propaganda resources began to disseminate information that there are no longer public health services in Kherson. The so-called “evidence” is the alleged advertisements posted at hospitals named after A.S. Luchanskyi and after Ye.Ye. Karabelesh. They report that hospitals will not work, since all employees of medical institutions have gone to register for military service. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxUkraine project analyzed this case and found out that the information was untrue and the ad was faked. In addition, among the medical staff there are also female doctors, whose military registration is voluntary until 2026. The mentioned hospitals and other medical institutions in Kherson continue to operate. The shortage of doctors that arose in the Kherson region with the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion is compensated by sending doctors from other regions of Ukraine.

Russia is escalating the situation when it spreads information about the closure of Kherson hospitals, resorting to one of the propaganda tactics aimed at sowing fear, uncertainty and doubts among Ukrainians about present and future life in Ukraine. Previously, we documented the message of Russian propaganda, according to which Ukrainian doctors and pharmacists were allegedly “escaping” from Ukraine en masse because they were afraid of mobilization.

Russian telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that because of the war, 90% of Ukrainians will need psychological help. Russian propaganda refers to messages from Health Minister Viktor Liashko, who allegedly said that the Ukrainian government is to blame for this, because it refuses “peace” with Russia, which “saved” Ukrainians from mental health problems. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the VoxCheck project. Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko actually said that 90% of Ukrainians have at least 1 symptom, which indicates that a person will need psychological help. However, this was not caused by the actions of the Ukrainian authorities and the “unwillingness” to make peace with Russia, but by Russian shelling, threats to destroy all infrastructure, abuse of residents in temporarily occupied territories and intimidation, torture, and separation from relatives. Ukraine is doing everything to win.

Moreover, in Ukraine there are programs that help you get psychological help. For example, the Medical Guarantee Program, the “How are you?” All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program, there are also Vitality Centers and special hotlines.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to shift responsibility for the war and possible mental problems of Ukrainians from Russia to Ukraine. Although it is precisely because of Russia’s actions that Ukrainians need special support and in the future they may find themselves needing to seek psychological help. Previously, we talked about the manipulation that the UN said that Ukraine was announcing the verdicts of innocent people.

Propaganda telegram channels began to disseminate information that the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine seems to be urgently adjusting the State Budget for 2024. All items related to medicine, education and social security will be cut. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers for the Vox Ukraine project. The draft State Budget 2024 was submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as of the end of September. There is no information about its changes. The situation is the opposite: the budget assumes an increase in medical costs. Thus, in 2024, the total budget for the healthcare sector is about 202 billion UAH. In 2023, the budget included UAH 176.1 billion for relevant needs. Taking into account the inflation forecast by the NBU for 2024 at 8.5%, the planned amount for this year exceeds the previous one by approximately UAH 10 billion.

By the way, 159 billion UAH will be provided to finance the Medical Guarantee Program in 2024. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine explains that this will allow prioritizing tariffs for surgical and burn packages, as well as packages of psychological support and psychiatric care.

Recently, a Ukrainian application has become available that helps calculate the risk of stroke. It provides important information about how one can reduce their risk of stroke and monitors changes in personal risk factors.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that Ukraine is supposedly going to abolish disability status in order to send more people to the front. As evidence, Russian propaganda cites a proposal to remove the concept of “disabled person” from the legislation. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. Minister of Health Viktor Liashko indeed stated that the Ministry of Health has prepared a bill according to which the disability notion is proposed to be replaced by the assessment of loss of functionality. However, this bill is not about abolishing “disability” or mobilization. This reform was discussed at the beginning of October at a briefing in Zhytomyr following the results of the Congress of Local and Regional Councils under the President of Ukraine.

For Ukraine , the goal is to abandon the post-Soviet model of determining disability, which provides a person only with benefits and compensation. And the task of the state should be “to return a person to an economic state”. However, benefits and payments should not be canceled. And they plan to implement the changes themselves in 2025, which once again proves that the reform is not related to mobilization.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian government and sow panic among Ukrainians. They say that the counteroffensive failed, there are not enough people at the front, so the authorities are trying to mobilize everyone, including people with disabilities. Previously, we talked about the manipulation that in Ukraine they created body armor for pregnant women as they are allegedly going to send them to the front.

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that women with medical education began to “escape” from Ukraine en masse, because from October 1, 2023, medical and pharmaceutical workers must register with the military. In support of this thesis, propagandists show alleged data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and explain that more than 25 thousand women with medical education allegedly left Ukraine over the past two weeks.

The VoxCheck analysts investigated the case and found that the State Statistics Service does not publish such statistics, and therefore, no data on the migration of doctors and pharmacists simply exists. That is, propagandists came up with this information. After all, migration statistics on the State Statistics Service website have not been updated since January 2022 due to martial law. Experts explained that in Ukraine, at the state level, the migration movement of the population is monitored according to several indicators: the number of arrivals and departures and the corresponding coefficients of these processes. Moreover, such indicators are formed annually, not weekly. And they do not separate out information about the professions of those who arrived and those who left, that is, such data is not collected. Data can be classified by type of area, gender, age, etc.

Also, statistics on the migration movement of the population are published by the State Migration Service of Ukraine. But this body also does not provide information on the distribution of migrants by profession.

Since October 1, 2023, medical and pharmaceutical workers must indeed register with the military, but registration with the military does not mean mobilization or the establishment of restrictions on traveling abroad. The Ministry of Health notes that registration is necessary only to summarize data on the existing reserve of doctors in the country. The travel of this category of women is unlimited.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that the Rozhyshche hospital in the Volyn region allegedly received an order to send more than 50 medical workers to the front. Russian propaganda refers to the Ukrainian media. It is not true.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. They found that in one of the hospitals in Volyn they plan to reduce staff due to lack of funding and because of this, two departments will be closed. However, there is no mention of sending doctors to the front or there is no corresponding order.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to sow panic among Ukrainians, they say, there are not enough people in the Ukrainian army, so hospitals receive orders to send doctors to the war zone. Earlier, we talked about the manipulation that in Ukraine they created a military uniform for pregnant women in order to send them to the front.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that one of the local clinics in Kharkiv is providing free HIV testing. Consequently, propagandists sum up: since a free test is offered in Ukraine, it means that there is an outbreak of infection among the military. They also add that the cause is poor-quality blood, which was previously supplied by NATO countries to Ukraine. And they add “photo evidence” to the messages - one of the announcements about testing for the detection of HIV infection.

Fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project began to analyze this case and explained that HIV testing in Ukraine is free. All Ukrainians have the right to use this opportunity. Actually, according to the new version of the law on combating HIV, everyone on the territory of Ukraine has the right to free medical care and provision of antiretroviral drugs for treatment. The authors of the fake message hint that the Ukrainian healthcare system is suffering at the hands of “unprofessionals” and are intimidated by various diseases that are breaking out in Ukraine. However, the fact-checkers emphasize that free HIV testing indicates the relative quality and stability of the medical system of Ukraine. Testing is one of the elements of disease regulation or its timely detection.

By the way, in the first 6 months of 2023, the volume of HIV testing services increased by 52.7%, which even exceeded the pre-war figures. As a reminder, free HIV testing can be done at one’s family doctor, therapist or pediatrician.

In addition, Russian propaganda has repeatedly manipulated the issue of providing blood in the state. Thus, the Kremlin is trying to create a false impression that there is not enough blood in Ukraine, there is not enough of it, and therefore it is impossible to heal the army qualitatively. Among other things, in the opinion of consumers, misinformation was also suggested that they supposedly supply infected blood to Ukraine. That is, they portrayed the image of Ukraine as a state in which international partnership is not interesting. They also wrote that the Verkhovna Rada “orders” Ukrainians to donate blood. Women of Ukrainian fighters complain that their men are being transfused with “Russian blood”. And in general they explained that Ukrainians forbid foreign citizens to become blood donors. And with such messages, the authors fed the classic narrative about the existence of “Ukrainian Nazis”.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that allegedly in the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian military infected a Polish fighter of the Foreign Legion with an “unknown disease”.  According to the authors, after the infection, the Polish fighter was allegedly put into a medically induced coma in order to find out “what kind of disease the Ukrainians infected him with”. Subsequently, the “sick” was sent to the Polish city of Rzeszow, where he allegedly spread the virus to the Poles. The publications refer to the material of the Associated Press. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and determined that the material really refers to an investigation into the cause of an outbreak of legionnaires' disease in the city of Rzeszow, which killed 7 people and infected more than 100. And this is not an “unknown disease”, but legionellosis. One can get sick from small drops of water containing the causative agent of the disease - the Legionella bacterium. The disease is not transmitted from person to person. Weapons for Ukraine are being transported through the city, so Stanislav Zharyn, Deputy Minister-Coordinator of the Polish intelligence services, explained that the services will check Russia’s involvement in the spread of the disease.

However, there was no talk of any International Legion and Polish fighter in the material. This is just an invented story of propagandists. At the same time, they used the topic of the material to create a false impression that the infection started from the Ukrainian military. In fact, the authors distorted the context of the material and added false information from themselves. Moreover, the first case of legionellosis infection was found in Poland, that is, in the city of Rzeszow. Meanwhile, not a single case of legionellosis has been registered in Ukraine over the past year. Russian media regularly spread misinformation about disease outbreaks in Ukraine. Including in order to intimidate people with various ailments. Also to show that Ukrainian officials do not care about the sanitary and epidemiological state of the country and leave everyone to the mercy of fate. Propagandists seek to discourage Ukrainians to the state.

Read similar fakes on the topic: an infectious disease with leptospirosis is allegedly spreading among the Ukrainian military, or how an outbreak of cholera was allegedly recorded in Odesa. Kyiv and Mykolaiv also suffered from this propaganda story. But finally, pay attention to the message that cholera in Ukraine is the work of the United States and their “biological laboratories”.

This information was disseminated on social networks, in particular in the Ukrainian segment of Facebook. Reports say that Japan allegedly donated 200 thousand units of first aid kits for free to the Ukrainian defense forces. The authors convince us: it turned out that these same first-aid kits were found for resale in Ukrainian pharmacies at a price of 2,640 per set. It's a lie.

Fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project analyzed this case and found out that the authors of fake publications did not indicate any details about the so-called resale of tactical first aid kits. For example, a probable place of resale or just photo evidence in the publications was not found. That is, this is just a stuffing of information, because the authors did not provide any evidence. The fact-checkers emphasize that at present there are also no official reports about the transfer of exactly 200,000 first-aid kits by Japan to Ukraine. And through a reverse Google search, they were able to discover how the same resale information was published a year ago. Obviously, as in the first case, so in the second - this is not true.

By spreading this fake news, propagandists seek to demoralize the military, who allegedly do not receive proper medical care. It’s as if Ukraine is stealing everything and using it for its own selfish purposes. Moreover, the rhetoric about the misuse of humanitarian aid is beneficial to the Kremlin in order to fuel distrust of Ukraine among its foreign partners. They say there is no point in increasing aid if Ukrainian officials allow resources to be stolen.

By the way, the fact-checkers also wrote how Japan has helped Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion: their non-governmental organization Peace Winds Japan donated more than a million units of medical supplies to Ukraine. And in July 2022, Japan provided Ukraine with 60 tons of medicines, among which there were indeed tactical first aid kits. However, not in the amount of 200 thousand.

Social networks and Russian media disseminate information that the outbreak of a dangerous legionellosis disease in the Polish city of Rzeszow is allegedly associated with Ukrainian refugees living in a local aid center. However, this is fake.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that this statement is unfounded, since it is not yet known what exactly became the source of the infection. The World Health Organization reports that there have been no cases of direct human-to-human transmission as of now. Poland's Internal Security Agency is investigating whether the outbreak could have been a sabotage. Since mid-August, an outbreak of legionellosis has been detected in Rzeszow, 100 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, which has killed 8 people and infected more than 100. Its causative agent, legionella, infects lung tissue and leads to the development of a severe form of pneumonia.

By creating and spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit Ukrainian refugees. Like, they are only the cause of problems in European countries. Detector Media has repeatedly written about how Russian propaganda humiliates them, in particular, as in a fake that Ukrainian refugees in Germany allegedly beat a Slovene because they confused the Slovenian flag with the Russian one.

Propagandists actively disseminate information that Ukraine is the world leader in illegal transplantation. Like, in Ukraine they sell organs online and offline. In support of this message, they come up with a number of fakes. For example, in 2014, the OSCE stated that bodies of people without internal organs were found in mass graves in the war zone. Like, they were confiscated by illegal transplantologists. In addition, propagandists note that in June 2023, representatives of the Ministry of Health of one of the NATO countries allegedly agreed with Ukraine on the supply of a refrigerated wagon with human organs and body parts that are most often used in transplantation, in particular, eyes, some types of bones, fabrics. hearts and livers.

Analysts at The Insider drew attention to the message. They found that, in fact, in 2014, the OSCE stated quite the opposite. In particular, the then OSCE Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Human Trafficking, Madina Dzharbusynova, said that her words were taken out of context by the Russian media. This concerns her statements in response to statements by several Russian NGOs during the OSCE Human Dimension Meeting about a possible seizure of organs for sale in eastern Ukraine. At the time, Dzharbusynova also cited a response from a Ukrainian spokesperson who said the allegations would be investigated once Ukraine gained greater access to the region. The Special Representative stressed at the time that the OSCE had no evidence of organ harvesting in the Donbas.

As for the fake about the refrigerated car, it was first circulated in Russian telegram channels, blaming the Turkish Ministry of Health for this collusion. In fact, organs cannot be harvested in advance, since even in refrigerators they can be stored for a very short time. For example, the liver - a maximum of 15 hours, and the heart - 6. In addition, even if such organs are sent immediately, the trip through Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria will last almost a day, taking into account the necessary stops. Donor tissues are rarely used for bone transplantation - patient tissues, synthetic grafts, or animal bone tissue are used for this.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want not only to justify Russia's crimes against Ukraine, but also to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and everyone who cooperates with them. Detector Media has previously written about how Russian propaganda uses the topic of transplantology, presenting Ukraine as a country of lawlessness.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an outbreak of cholera was recorded in Odesa and the region. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation investigated this case and found out that the information about the cholera outbreak is not true. Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin said that Ukraine is ready to respond quickly in case of outbreaks of cholera. So far, they have not been fixed. According to him, there are enough drugs and diagnostic tools to diagnose acute intestinal infections, including cholera.

And as of the beginning of July 2023, not a single case of cholera infection was recorded in Ukraine. For other infectious diseases, the department of the Ministry of Health explained that the risk of their outbreak is increasing, but at present, enhanced epidemiological surveillance is being carried out in the affected areas.

In addition, to counter the outbreak of infectious diseases in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson regions, 38 water monitoring points were opened as well as in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

By spreading this fake, propagandists seek to sow panic among Ukrainians in order to intimidate them. Earlier, we just refuted a similar case when they allegedly recorded an outbreak of cholera in Kyiv. It turned out that this was also not true.

Russian propagandists in anonymous telegram channels claim that allegedly in the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson region, the “new government” is conducting an active vaccination campaign after the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. Like, the authorities in Ukraine ignored the vaccination and urged citizens not to do it. It's fake.

Specialists in the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that in fact the local authorities of Kherson systematically reminded adults and children to do routine vaccinations. In addition to the fact that undermining the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is a crime of the Russians, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine periodically reminds about routine vaccinations for adults and children. Project analysts note that the network has evidence that not only the Ministry of Health, but also the local authorities of Kherson systematically reminded the locals about vaccination.

After the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, the Russians vaccinated the population of Oleshki against hepatitis A, typhoid fever and tetanus. However, despite the promise of three vaccinations for civilians, they actually received only one. Russian “police” and military received three vaccinations each. Also, local Gauleiters promised to distribute 10 thousand rubles to civilians for vaccination against hepatitis A. In fact, the money was given only to Ukrainians with a Russian passport. Using vaccination issues, propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and shift the responsibility for the crimes of the Russians to the victim of aggression. Allegedly, Russia started the war to “put things in order”.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports describe how, on June 10, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada registered a bill on medical cannabis that regulates its use in various areas. At the same time, the authors added that already on June 28, during his speech, Volodymyr Zelenskyi noted that he would legalize marijuana so that people “endure pain, stress and trauma”.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case, and found out that during his speech the President really spoke about the need to develop the field of rehabilitation assistance in Ukraine. One of the steps is the legalization of the drug based on cannabis. He also noted that he is promoting this idea so that, first of all, people do not have to endure pain, stress and injury. That is, the propagandists simply distorted the context of Zelenskyi's quote.

Zelenskyi does not want Ukrainians to “be patient”, on the contrary, he spoke about improving the rehabilitation sector in Ukraine: opening centers, rehabilitation departments, and training specialists. The legalization of cannabis-based medicine is just one step towards improving the rehabilitation conditions for the military and war victims.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that, allegedly because of the failed medical reforms, the anti-epidemic control system has completely degraded and is not able to cope with infectious diseases that can flare up after the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. The authors add that Ukraine does not care about its people, but leaves them to the mercy of fate.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found out that at the beginning of July 2023, not a single case of infection with cholera, botulism, hepatitis A or other infectious diseases associated with the consequences of flooding was recorded in Ukraine. At the same time, the Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Ihor Kuzin spoke about a number of regular measures to combat cholera and about the innovations that were introduced after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was blown up by the Russians. To counter the outbreak of infectious diseases in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson regions, 38 water monitoring points were opened. Also, in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, the centers for disease control and prevention have been transferred to a special response mode.

That is, the Ukrainian medical system, on the contrary, responds to the challenges caused by flooding. Propagandists are trying to intimidate people, convincing them that they were supposedly left to their fate.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric reported that Zelenskyi allegedly intimidated Ukrainians by mining the ZNPP, which allegedly caused potassium iodide to disappear from Kyiv pharmacies. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. They note that the demand for potassium iodide tablets has indeed increased, but they can be bought in many pharmacies in Kyiv. Potassium iodide produced by Darnytsia is available in 17 pharmacies, and other manufacturers - in 852 pharmacies in Kyiv. On June 22, Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that Ukrainian intelligence had received information about the mining of the ZNPP, and then the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyryl Budanov, confirmed the mining of the plant’s cooler by Russian troops in an interview with The New Statement.

By spreading information about the shortage of potassium iodide tablets in pharmacies in Kyiv, Russian propaganda is trying to create chaos, intimidate Ukrainians and cause them to panic. However, these pills are not suitable for everyone and they will need to be consumed only after official notification from the authorities or the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that Ukraine was deliberately raising the water level in order to flood the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

This was recorded by the experts of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation. They say that unknown people send SMS messages to Ukrainians on behalf of the Ministry of Health, allegedly about the outbreak of cholera in certain regions. However, this information is not true. The department of the Ministry of Health also stated that the information about the outbreak of cholera is a fake.

According to this, no messages from the Ministry of Health could be sent. Representatives of the Ministry of Health also added that currently in Ukraine, on the territory of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, not a single confirmed case of cholera has been registered.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are spreading a statement by Russian collaborator Volodymyr Rohov that since 2016 the number of TB patients in the Zaporizhzhia region has been on the rise. According to him, 70% of patients have a treatment-resistant form, and this was the result of American biological experiments, the closure of bacteriological laboratories, and the abolition of the diagnosis of tuberculosis among children. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. According to the Center for Public Health, in the Zaporizhzhia region in 2015-2021, the level of registration of new cases of the disease has decreased. Infection also decreased in 2022 compared to 2021 to 33.5 cases per 100,000 population. Deputy Minister of Health Ihor Kuzin explains that the high incidence in Ukraine is due to insufficient vaccination and untimely access to doctors. Indeed, in 2022, 119 patients in the Zaporizhzhia region were diagnosed with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis for the first time. However, this is not the result of Western actions, but non-adherence to the treatment plan and a consequence of the previously ineffective system of care for tuberculosis. However, since 2007, an anti-tuberculosis bacteriological laboratory has been operating in Zaporizhzhia, and in 2020, a phthisis pulmonological center was established in Zaporizhzhia on the basis of the regional anti-tuberculosis dispensary. Diagnosis of tuberculosis is still carried out, mantoux is mandatory for children.

Russian propagandists systematically spread fakes and manipulations of the biological laboratory on the territory of Ukraine. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Western partners and intimidate Ukrainians. This is part of the narrative that “the West controls Ukraine”. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that Ukraine collected bird flu strains in the Askania-Nova nature reserve.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an outbreak of cholera was recorded in Kyiv due to cholera bacillus in the water. The authors of the messages urge people to brush their teeth and wash fruits and vegetables with boiled water. It is not true. 

The fact-checkers of the project Beyond the News investigated this case and found out that the information about the cholera outbreak is not true. Meanwhile, Kyivvodokanal also denied this information and reported that the quality of drinking water is monitored for epidemic safety indicators and sanitary-chemical safety indicators. There are no deviations from the norm, tap water is quite safe. Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin said that Ukraine is ready to respond quickly in case of outbreaks of cholera. So far, they have not been fixed. According to him, there are enough drugs and diagnostic tools to diagnose acute intestinal infections, including cholera.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the Ministry of Health has issued a memo on radiation hazards. The document lists precautions and recommendations in the event of a radiation hazard in Khmelnytskyi and its environs.

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation reviewed this case and found that the document does not exist. Fact-checkers turned to the Ministry of Health for a comment, where they were told that they did not create any recommendations on the radiation hazard in Khmelnytskyi. In addition, on the website of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine there are also no monuments with a mention of the radiation hazard in the Khmelnytskyi region.

In addition, the fact-checkers found out that photos with a fake attraction were distributed only in the Russian segment of social networks.

Let us remind you that this “memo” refers to a series of fakes about the so-called radiation hazard that was “approaching” on the territory of the Khmelnytskyi or Ternopil regions. Propagandists convinced that cities had leaked dangerous substances and radiation. Thus, the authors seek to destabilize the mood of Ukrainians and once again intimidate them with “nuclear bombings” by Russia. We recall that earlier analysts of Detector Media also investigated the case related to “nuclear weapons” in Ukraine. We analyzed the message where the propagandists claimed that the Ukrainian military was using banned weapons with a high content of uranium.

Propagandists on Russian telegram channels spread information that they allegedly organized the “export” of human organs in Ukraine with the help of transplant doctors from the United States. They also claim that the center where all the seized organs are taken is Lviv, and the Ukrainian military was wounded as the “source” of donor organs. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They analyzed the reports in the Russian media about the transplant doctor Robert Montgomery and found out that in fact the doctor comes to help the Ukrainians. For example, on April 18 of this year, the press service of the First Medical Association of Lviv reported that Montgomery had transplanted a kidney from his father to his son, who had been on dialysis for the last 13 years.

The propagandists made their material by distorting the Voice of America report on Montgomery. He is not involved in the export of donor organs abroad.

VoxCheck experts note that since 2019 in Ukraine there is an opportunity to be a posthumous donor, but only with the personal consent of an adult capable person. In addition, according to paragraph 4 of Article 17 of the Law of Ukraine “On the use of transplantation of anatomical materials in humans”, military personnel cannot be posthumous donors.

Analysts note that Lviv is not the only transplantation center in Ukraine where anatomical materials are transferred for donation. A large number of operations are also taking place in Kyiv, and 32 such centers operate throughout Ukraine.

Thus, propagandists want to shift the responsibility for the war against Ukraine to third parties. Like, the US is waging war for money, to sell organs for nothing. However, it is Russia that has attacked Ukraine and is conducting attacks against the civilian population, while the United States is helping to defend Ukraine.

On the telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric, one can find information that epidemics of measles, mumps, whooping cough and diphtheria allegedly will begin soon in the Kharkiv region, since children in Ukraine are not vaccinated at a sufficient level. In addition, propagandists note that outbreaks will arise due to the fact that imported medicines are not brought to Ukraine to replace Russian ones. In addition, they claim that Ukrainians have to pay about $1,000 for a full vaccination of a child in the first year of birth. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They note that only six cases of measles infection have been recorded in Ukraine at the moment, among which there is not a single one in the Kharkiv region. In addition, even though measles vaccination statistics have indeed decreased, experts in the field of immunoprophylaxis attribute this to the fact that many families have gone abroad. Moreover, there is no need to pay for vaccination, since the state purchases vaccines. In addition, project analysts note that the Center for Public Health points to the well-established supply of necessary medicines from India, Canada, France and Bulgaria.

Propagandists are constantly trying to exaggerate the scale of the problems in Ukraine in order to show the inability of the Ukrainian authorities to cope with a number of crises. Thus, propagandists want to cause panic among Ukrainians and destabilize the situation. Like, the “Kyiv regime” thinks only about the war, and not about real problems. However, if there are minor problems with the above processes, they are the result of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated by the Kremlin propaganda media and anonymous telegrams. Russian Minister of Health Mykhailo Murashka said that 80 medical institutions were restored in the occupied territories, 50 ambulances were provided and medicines worth 7 billion rubles were sent. It is not true.

The VoxCheck project specialists drew attention to this case. According to the World Bank, the Russian military damaged or destroyed at least 978 medical facilities, 650 ambulances and about 596 pharmacies. They noted that in order to fully restore the medical system, Ukraine needs $16.4 billion over the next 10 years. Also, eyeWitness to Atrocities, Insecurity Insight, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) and the Ukrainian Health Center (UHC) created an interactive map showing that as of March 2023, Russia had 822 attacks on hospitals and other health infrastructure.

By spreading such manipulation, Russian propagandists are trying to convince the inhabitants of the occupied territories that they care about them and restore medicine. Also, in this way they try to hide the real state of affairs. Earlier, Detector Media wrote about manipulation that in the Kherson region from now on there allegedly will be free medicine.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the Lviv regional state administration “ordered” employees of budgetary institutions to donate blood for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Like, if they don’t donate blood, they “remain without a bonus”. As evidence of the publication, the authors of the messages cite an announcement-order, which, they say, is placed in state institutions for workers. In addition, propagandists add a screenshot of the correspondence on the telegram, where the user comments on the message of the local telegram channel and claims that “Lviv residents are forced to donate blood”. It is not true.

The specialists of the VoxCheck project worked on the case, and found that the order itself did not mention forced blood donation. It notes that blood can be donated voluntarily, not forced. Fact-checkers did not verify the authenticity of the order itself, however, reliable and relevant information is posted there. The authors of the messages simply came up with a different content for the “forced” order. According to Ukrainian legislation, blood donation is exclusively voluntary. That is, a person cannot be forced to donate blood, since the patient gives written consent before the procedure. The questionnaire can be completed online, however, according to fact-checkers, many blood centers do not accept such applications. In most cases, the patient must fill out the consent to donate in the presence of a doctor.

As for the message itself from the user in one of the local telegram channels, the fact checkers did not find this comment. As they explain, one comment is obviously not evidence that “Lviv residents are forced to donate blood”. Probably, it was forged and distributed in the Ukrainian telegram segment, and then deleted.

There is no significant shortage of blood in Ukraine, which means there is no need to force people to donate it either. At the same time, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine indicates that sometimes there is a need for a rare blood type, but there is no critical shortage. In April, the agency also said that thanks to donors, the daily supply of erythrocyte blood components has increased, but there is a shortage of donors with negative rhesus blood.

Propagandists systematically spread fakes and manipulation about the alleged lack of blood in Ukraine. Thus, the authors of the messages are trying to convince that everything is bad in Ukraine and that there are many wounded who are not being given worthy assistance, since there is no blood. We managed to refute several fakes on this topic. For example, one of the fakes said that Ukraine forbids all foreign citizens from becoming blood donors. We also verified the authenticity of a message on social networks that a Ukrainian woman left her husband because he was “transfused with the blood of Russians”.

Anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric publish information that it is currently impossible to buy antidepressants in Ukraine due to their shortage. Like, upon returning from the front, the Ukrainian military “swept away” them from pharmacies. It's fake.

When looking for antidepressants in Ukrainian pharmacies, even online, you can find the exact addresses of pharmacies where you can buy them at the moment. This is not about the presence of several items, but about a wide selection of antidepressants. Moreover, even if such a deficit did occur, it is impossible to confirm whether it was the military that provoked it or not. Civilians living in the stress of war can also buy these drugs, and antidepressants are even on the list of drugs provided under the government's “Affordable Medicines” program.

Thus, Russian propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces and demoralize Ukrainian society. They say that allegedly the Ukrainian soldiers cannot withstand the war, which means that they must give up and start negotiating.

In fact, the topic of mental health for both military and civilians during the war is quite important. However, Russian propaganda stigmatizes it. It seems that taking care of one’s mental health is the business of “weaklings”. However, the trauma of wartime experiences can interfere with a return to normal life.

Such information was disseminated in social networks and propaganda media. Reports say that allegedly the Ukrainian government does not allocate funds for the rehabilitation of military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder. Allegedly, Zelenskyi “spends all the money on something else”. It is not true.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found that, in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On social and legal protection of military personnel and members of their families”, the state provides free psychological assistance:

to military personnel who do military service on the territory of Ukraine and perform military duty outside its borders;

to the military, who became persons with disabilities due to a disease associated with the passage of service;

to members of volunteer formations of territorial communities.

That is, the law regulates the process of providing free psychological assistance, so the thesis about “non-allocation of funds by the government” is unfounded. Analysts believe that the basis for creating this fake was the material of The Economist, in which journalists talk about a military rehabilitation center for the treatment of PTSD, located in the Kharkiv region. The material also said that all this was “new” for Ukraine, since until 2014 the military had received almost no psychological assistance.

It is worth noting that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic mental disorder that can develop after a traumatic event. Persistent thoughts about the traumatic event last more than a month and usually occur 6 months after the event. Intrusive thoughts appear involuntarily when some kind of trigger reminds of trauma.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that from March 1, 2023, only “full-blooded Ukrainians” will be able to become blood donors, and all foreign citizens are prohibited to do so. The authors of the messages in the publication add a probable announcement that talks about this ban. Allegedly, such an “announcement”, according to the authors, was distributed by the Ukrainian service for finding doctors “DOC.UA”, because it depicts the logo of the service. It is not true.

Analysts of the NotaYenota project drew attention to this case and determined that the ad was not real. Ihor Liski, Head of the supervisory board of the group of companies “Effective investments”, which includes “DOC.UA”, denied the creation of this “announcement”. As he explains, the service does not collect blood and workers could not receive proposals, for example, from the Ministry of Health on the so-called changes in the blood collection system, because this is beyond their competence. In addition, Ihor Liski confirmed that no such announcement was made on behalf of the “DOC.UA” service.

At the same time, analysts emphasize that both Ukrainians and foreigners who have a permanent residence permit in Ukraine can donate blood in Ukraine. Any capable citizen of Ukraine over the age of 18 who weighs at least 50 kg and has passed the appropriate medical examination in a medical institution before blood sampling and has no contraindications can be a blood or plasma donor.

By spreading such a fake, the propagandists nourish the narrative of Nazi Ukrainians who supposedly recognize only so-called “full-blooded Ukrainians” and despise everyone else.

Messages are being spread on telegram channels that allegedly the Prime Minister of Moldova, Nataliia Havrylytsia, admitted that weapons and donor organs are smuggled into Moldova from Ukraine. Like, Moldova has become a real black market for selling the organs of wounded soldiers. Reports claim that on October 20, 2022 a law was passed allowing organ transplants in private clinics in Moldova. After that, the number of wounded Ukrainian soldiers allegedly increased, who are allegedly taken to Moldova for treatment, and instead are used as donors. This is manipulation.

Propagandists have been manipulating themes of organ trafficking and arms smuggling since the start of the full-scale invasion. However, not once did they provide evidence of these crimes. The Prime Minister of Moldova did not say that donor organs of the Ukrainian military get from Ukraine to Moldova. Nataliia Havrylytsia noted that the country needs additional support from the EU to combat the increase in cases of human and arms trafficking from Ukraine. In particular, in July 2022, the EU created the Support Center for Internal Security and Border Control in Moldova. It deals with combating the trade in firearms and people. Forced transplantation, which propagandists talk about, is only one of the components of the concept of “human trafficking”, as well as recruitment, transportation, sale, involvement in criminal activities, forced labor, etc. So the problem is much broader.

According to VoxCheck, the Ukrainian military is sent for rehabilitation to the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Germany, Italy, Romania, the USA and Israel. There is no official information about treatment in Moldova. Reports of “black transplantology” in the Ukrainian army have also been repeatedly refuted.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit international support for Ukraine and worsen partnerships between Ukraine and other states. Earlier, propagandists spread messages that in Poland a refugee from Ukraine was sold for organs, and in Donbas, wounded Ukrainian soldiers and locals with pro-Russian views became victims of black transplants.

Telegram channels spread information that there are allegedly not enough ambulances in the Volyn region, since they are regularly transferred for the needs of the 14th separate mechanized brigade named after Roman the Great. Also, many doctors were allegedly mobilized into this brigade, so there is an alleged shortage of professional personnel in the region. This is manipulation.

Reports of a shortage of doctors and ambulances are “fictitious”. The Volyn region indeed handed over nine ambulances to the military hospital and the 14th separate motorized brigade. Three more were donated by Lithuania as humanitarian aid. In addition to ambulances, SUVs and buses purchased with volunteers' money were handed over.

As VoxCheck fact-checkers found out, the messages are illustrated with photographs from the final meeting of the medical council of the Volyn medical center for emergency medical care and disaster medicine. During the meeting, the head of the Center, Volodymyr Shmal, said that 72 emergency teams were working in the medical center in November, provided with everything necessary. In December, another 7 brigades were formed. The center's car park was also updated - 5 new ambulances were bought. As for doctors, the official noted that certain personnel changes are now taking place. However, they are not associated with mobilization - some doctors have retired, and some have changed jobs. Shmal did not say anything about the lack of staff due to the mass mobilization of doctors. Moreover, according to the legislation, hospitals have the opportunity to “book” specialists from mobilization.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to undermine trust in the authorities and local governments and scare Ukrainians that they will be left without proper medical care. Previously, for this purpose, fakes were spread about the business trips of doctors to the combat zone.

In social networks, reports are spreading that the Lviv clinic for reproductive medicine “Alternative” offers its clients “reproductive tissues of the defenders of Azovstal”. Like, for advertising, the clinic used the slogan “Restore the nation!” and the emblem of Azov. It's fake.

The clinic “Alternative” does not offer its clients “reproductive tissues of the defenders of Azovstal”. As the fact-checkers of the project “Beyond the News” found out, the screen of the clinic’s advertising post on Facebook was falsified in a photo editor. The name of the clinic was written incorrectly, despite the fact that the contact details are real: address, mobile number, license number of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Fake Ukrainian-language advertising was mostly shared on Russian resources, and English-language advertising was shared on Twitter. The photo of the boy used in the ad is most likely generated by ThisPersonDoesNotExist.com, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to create photos of people that look as real as possible, but who never existed. The administration of the clinic did deny the existence of such services as well.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes in relation to the people of Azov, nazism and fascism in Ukraine, for which Russia allegedly has the right to punish.

This message was circulated on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that in the temporarily Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, life is not just going on, and healthcare is flourishing, but high-tech operations are being carried out with the most modern equipment. The publications add that allegedly the administration of the temporarily occupied region, Kherson in particular, is working to improve the healthcare sector.

In fact, as VoxCheck project analysts explain, Russians have a shortage of doctors in the temporarily occupied territories, because local Ukrainians refuse to cooperate with the occupiers. To replenish the medical staff, the Russians import doctors from their country and encourage them with additional payments from 4.5 to 18 thousand rubles.

In addition, there have been cases when Russian doctors treat only their own personnel. For example, in the Henichesk district of the Kherson region, the Russian military is modifying kindergartens as field hospitals, because the hospitals are overcrowded.

At the same time, only wounded Russian soldiers are treated, and local residents are forbidden to come to hospitals. Russia is silent about the robbery of medical equipment by the Russian military in Skadovsk, Nova Kakhovka and other occupied cities.

By spreading such a message, propagandists are trying to convince people that life is good in the temporarily occupied territories under the leadership of Russia. Russia creates the appearance that after the so-called liberation - which is occupation - ordinary people began to live better than under the criminal Ukrainian government. However, in reality, as practice shows, the cities and villages that the Ukrainian army liberates from Russian infidels are in a terrible state. Such a situation could be observed in the liberated Kyiv region, Kharkiv region, Chernihiv region, as well as in the liberated Kherson. In particular, in Kherson, after the withdrawal of Russian troops, the critical infrastructure did not work, there was no water, food, medicines. That is, there was no talk of any development of medicine under the conditions of Russian occupation, on the contrary, by constant shelling and robbery, the Russians provoked devastation in the city.

This message was spread by propagandists on social networks and the Kremlin media. The report says that the hospitalization of Ukrainians in Kyiv is ending. According to the propagandists, this was due to “overcrowded beds by the military from the front”. Like, because of the large number of wounded, there are no more places for sick civilians.

As VoxCheck explains, in early December, the Ministry of Health did recommend that regional military administrations consider suspending planned operations and hospitalizations. However, the reason was the systematic massive shelling of the energy infrastructure by Russia, and, accordingly, threats of a possible complete blackout. The recommendations refer to the stabilization period of the energy supply.

However, the recommendation does not mean a complete ban on hospitalization, and subsequently a possible operation. The final decision is made by the doctor depending on the patient's condition.

This message is aimed at destabilizing the mood of Ukrainians and discrediting the “incompetent” government. It seems that at the front “everything is so bad” that civilians are not given the opportunity to receive decent treatment.

The news was spread by Russian media and picked up by pro-Russian TV channels. Like, the decision to supply Western tanks Abrams and Leopard 2 to Kyiv will not only lead to a military escalation, but also pose a threat to the health of civilians. Allegedly, tanks are dangerous due to the fact that they use shells with depleted uranium. Allegedly, due to the use of shells, the area is polluted and outbreaks of oncological diseases occur. Also, allegedly, Russia can consider the use of these shells as the use of a dirty bomb. This is manipulation.

International organizations, in particular the IAEA, the UN Environment Agency, the Scientific Committee on Risks to Health and the Environment of the EU Commission, have come to the general conclusion that the impact of radioactive radiation from depleted uranium is insignificant. Radiation exposure from depleted uranium is very low compared to natural radiation. According to the results of medical examinations of military personnel who used such projectiles during hostilities, they did not find the effect of depleted uranium on their health.

Russian propaganda is conducting an information campaign to discredit German and American tanks that are being planned to transfer to Ukraine. They had previously argued that these tanks would not change the situation at the front. Like, American Abrams tanks are unsuitable for use in Ukraine in winter. It was also argued that Russia would consider Germany a “party to the conflict” if there was permission to supply tanks to Ukraine. More details.

Social networks are spreading messages about a critical shortage of blood and its components in Ukrainian hospitals. Sometimes they spread information about the requirement to donate blood. It's fake.

The Ministry of Health denied this information. According to the Ministry of Health, a systemic planned donation has been built in Ukraine, which ensures constant supplies of blood and its components. The delivery of blood supplies and its components from other regions is coordinated by the specialized state institution “Ukrainian Center for Transplant Coordination”.

In the conditions of a full-scale war, Ukrainians quite actively respond to all calls to donate blood. As a rule, voluntary donation makes it possible to meet the needs for blood and its components for civil and military medical institutions.

In social networks, allegedly, a photo of the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated December 7 on the business trip of 1,796 doctors from state medical institutions of the “Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk and Uzhhorod” regions to medical institutions in Mykolaiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions is distributed. The reports claim that the decision was published on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers, and a few minutes later removed. It is not true.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine did not make such a decision, and a photo of the document was created in a graphic editor. Fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project note that there are many errors in the fake document. For example, the Transcarpathian region is indicated as Uzhhorod region, the norms of official record keeping are not observed. On the website of the Cabinet of Ministers under the number 1363, a decree of December 6 is indicated with a completely different content.

Such information was disseminated by anonymous telegram channels posing as Odesa ones. They mix posts with declarations of love for Odesa and its history with explicit Kremlin narratives, the Center for Strategic Communications reports.

According to them, allegedly in Odesa there is a business to collect biomaterial from dead Ukrainian soldiers who become posthumous donors. They say that the remains of the bodies are burned, the dead are given the status of “missing”, and biomaterials are taken out to Lviv twice a week. It is not true.

In fact, Russian propaganda has been constantly promoting the message for the past eight years that Ukraine is a “supplier of spare parts for Americans and Europeans” and has become a center for illegal transplants and organ trafficking.

Anonymous telegram channels write about this. Like, the morgues of Zaporizhzhia are overflowing with the bodies of the dead Ukrainian military, so the city council decided to create another morgue. It is not true.

The original source of the fake was the telegram channel of the collaborator from Zaporizhzhia Volodymyr Rohanov. According to the fact-checkers of the Zaporizhzhia Investigation Center, in fact, the city council decided to create a public utility company “Patological and anatomical bureau”. The need to create such a bureau is justified by the fact that Zaporizhzhia has communal hospitals that do not have pathoanatomical departments. The pathological and anatomical bureau has nothing to do with the storage of the bodies of the dead in Zaporizhzhia: neither civilians nor military personnel.

Also, the fact checkers established that the picture published by Rohov was actually taken in the morgue of the Russian city of Novokuznietsk in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Russian media disseminated such information with reference to a fake letter allegedly from Health Minister Viktor Liashko to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

They say that Ukraine was in dire need of donor blood, so it required it from NATO member countries. After the "canned blood" seemed to have arrived in Ukraine, they decided to selectively test it and found the causative agents of almost all possible infectious diseases.

The fact that the letter from the minister is fake is evidenced by its form; it does not meet the requirements for official documents in Ukraine.

The ministry said that during the entire period of the war, Ukraine has never turned to foreign partners for donated blood or its components.

Since the first day of the war, the Ukrainians have held the “donor front” securely on their own. If there is an urgent need in the blood centers, people actively respond to requests and close such needs within a few hours.

Ukraine does not conduct random checks of blood and its components. Any donated blood or its components always and without exception undergo laboratory tests.

Anonymous telegram channels and Russian media write about this with reference to the militant of the so-called LNR, "representative of the people's militia of the LNR" Andriy Marochko. Allegedly, on the territory where hostilities are taking place, wounded Ukrainian servicemen and local residents with pro-Russian views are disappearing somewhere. Marochko says that he allegedly has evidence of the work of "Western transplantologists" who transport organs and Ukraine, and then to the West. It is not true.

Organs removed from the body remain viable for a limited period of time, during which it is impossible to transport them from the war zone in Donbas to the West. Organ retrieval requires a team of specially trained personnel of at least 6-8 surgeons. Transplantation is always targeted, based on a series of compatibility criteria. For this, a preliminary medical examination of both the donor and the recipient is always carried out, which is impossible in war conditions.

Another fake within the framework of the Russian propaganda narrative about "black transplant specialists in Donbas". This time, anonymous Telegram channels associated with the Russian GRU spread a new fake. Apparently, changes in the legislation, which allows commanders of units to certify the wills of soldiers, were lobbied by "black transplant specialists". A "resident" writes that there will be an annex to all wills, in which it will be indicated that the soldier is leaving the state authorities or science, and it will read "a check for each soldier's body - a million dollars."

This is an outright lie. In Ukraine, it is possible to become an organ donor after death, but in case of the following actions: download the template on the website of the Verkhovna Rada. Fill it in and have it notarized - and hand over the application of consent to the transplant coordinator. Commanders were allowed to certify only wills, not any other documents - so it is even theoretically impossible to become an organ donor right in the trenches. As for the very procedure of harvesting organs during the war, this fake has also been repeatedly refuted: it is a complex procedure that requires several specialists, specific equipment, and is limited in time. So transplant specialists do not go to war zones to find an organ.

This is reported in the Russian media. Allegedly, now in the Kherson region there will be no problems with the supply of vaccines and residents of the region will be able to seek medical help at any time of the day. It seems that this became possible due to the fact that Kherson doctors are switching to the Russian medical system. Like, in 30 years of independence, Ukraine has only destroyed the powerful Soviet medical system, so the Russians have to restore everything. It is not true.

Free medicine in the Kherson region, as well as throughout Ukraine, was before the occupation of this territory by the Russians. According to the Constitution of Ukraine: “In state and municipal health care institutions, medical care is provided free of charge.” The Ukrainian healthcare system has indeed undergone a reform. In particular, the number of hospitals was reduced, and the number of polyclinics increased. Both before and after the medical reform, anyone could, if necessary, seek medical help at any time of the day, because the ambulance system always worked. As the fact-checkers of The Insider project write, there were no problems with vaccines reported by the occupiers in the Kherson region.

We remind you that according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, the occupying authorities forced emergency medical workers to cooperate. Doctors were forced to obtain Russian passports, sign applications for work in Russian medical institutions, and receive salaries in rubles. Also, in all temporarily occupied territories there are problems with the provision of necessary medicines.

An updated list of diseases with which conscripts are deemed unfit for service is being circulated on social networks. The fact-checkers of the "Brekhunets" project noted that the specific laws in this regard have not changed since April, and the changes made do not concern the list of diseases. In particular, on March 18, changes were made to the Regulation of military medical examination in the Armed Forces. The modifications introduced on April 21 to the law "On mobilization training and mobilization" were related to the separation of powers between central executive bodies regarding state policy in civil protection.

The list of citizens who are not subject to conscription is defined in Art. 23 of the Law of Ukraine "On Mobilization Training and Mobilization." The regulation on military medical examination in the Armed Forces specifies a list of diseases in which conscripts may be temporarily or not recruited into the army in peacetime and/or wartime.

Russian media spread information that "black transplantology" centers allegedly operate in Ukraine, dealing with illegal human organ transplantation.

For the past eight years, Russian propaganda has constantly been promoting the message that Ukraine is a "supplier of spare parts for Americans and Europeans." It has turned into a center of illegal transplantology and organ trafficking. For example, in the spring of 2022, Russian propaganda launched a fake that the Ukrainian military allegedly "trades the organs of dead and wounded Ukrainian soldiers." Later, they tried attributing involvement in "black transplantology" to Juliia "Taira" Paievska. Media Detector has already refuted these fakes before. It is a lie that has no facts behind it. According to the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center, the existence of "black transplantology" centers in Ukraine is impossible. "In 2020, the director of the National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology, named after O.O. Shalimov, Oleksandr Usenko said that not just one or two people should be involved in a transplant operation, but more than 150 professional and experienced doctors. In addition, appropriate high-tech support and conditions for storage and preservation of organs should be equipped, says the KAC. To do a transplant, you need to know the donor and the patient in advance, do many tests, perform complex operations, fulfill the conditions for transporting organs, etc. It is impossible to do this in the field."    

The Chairman of the State Duma of Russia, Vyacheslav Volodin, spread the information that the USA is allegedly involved in creating COVID-19; therefore, it must compensate for the damages to the countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In this statement, he again spread a fake about "US biolaboratories."

In fact, the WHO commission, which investigated the circumstances of the beginning of the epidemic in China and studied the possible origin of the new virus, reported that COVID-19 has a natural birth - the natural source is bats. The WHO did not detect any cases of coronavirus disease before December, so the first place of the spread of the virus was Wuhan (China). Moreover, experts consider it "extremely unlikely" that the virus escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. There is no evidence that this virus, or a similar one, was studied in Wuhan laboratories. In addition, as VoxUkraine previously reported, various studies had confirmed that the MERS-Cov virus most likely originated in bats and was transmitted to camels before it acquired the ability to transmit to humans - the same with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. "Most scientists and the WHO are inclined to think that the virus arose due to a natural mutation and passed to humans from animals. It is confirmed by more recent studies of samples of the new coronavirus," the fact-checkers said. Fakes about the so-called "American biolaboratories," particularly in Ukraine, were repeatedly refuted by "Media Detector" - read more here.    

Such an assumption in the stream of Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov written in a telegram by a militant of the self-proclaimed "DPR" Vladlen Tatarsky (Maksym Fomin), who now calls himself a military correspondent. He noted that she was "exchanged for our underground in Kyiv."

On June 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an evening address that paramedic Yuliia Paievska (Taira), whom the Russians had captured in mid-March in Mariupol, had been released from captivity.

Yuliia "Taira" Paievska is a volunteer paramedic who saved the lives of military and civilians in Donbas for eight years.

Taira's husband Vadym and daughter Anna-Sofia lost touch with her on March 14, 2022. Since then, nothing has been known about the paramedic except the fakes spread by Russian propaganda. Taira has the title of People's Hero of Ukraine, President of the Aikido Federation "Mutokukai Ukraine," in 2013, with the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity, she became a doctor on the Maidan. She taught tactical medicine in the projects "People's Reserve" and "Protection of Patriots."

Later, Yuliia Paievska organized and headed the volunteer medical evacuation unit "Angels of Taira," which was based near Mariupol. From 2014 to 2018, she was a paramedic volunteer. From 2018 to 2020, she served under contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in eastern Ukraine and headed the evacuation department of the 61st Mobile Hospital in Mariupol. Then she was demobilized.

The Russian military is intimidating residents of the temporarily occupied Skadovsk in the Kherson region by threatening the spread of anthrax in the city. However, this is not true. As Suspilne writes, the message was refuted by the deputy chairman of the Kherson regional council Yury Sobolevsky. "All burial places of a dangerous ulcer were preserved, constantly inspected, about what made the act. The state food and consumer service were engaged in it. The situation was completely controlled. We don't know what it is now; our service doesn't have access to burials. However, if the Russian military won't damage anything, there is nothing that threatens the population," Sobolevsky said. Skadovsk Mayor Oleksandr Yakovlev also denies the fake - the cattle burial ground is outside the city, and no actions providing damage to it are carried out. "He is absolutely safe because he was registered and had proper care. All these years, the cattle cemetery did not pose a danger to anyone. I contacted the head of the organization where the cemetery is located; everything is fine with him," Yakovlev said. It is not the first attempt to intimidate the inhabitants of the occupied territories and the whole of Ukraine by spreading infectious diseases. The same technology is used every time - firstly, it is about the situation in one city. It gradually spreads to other cities, imitating the epidemic and intensifying people's panic. Earlier, we wrote about the same technology of distribution of fakes about cholera in the Ukrainian cities, in particular in Odesa, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Berdyansk, Bila Tserkva, etc. We have also already denied information about the spread of the plague in Odesa. Russia may continue the same information operations on outbreaks of fake infections, diverting attention from the real problems in the occupied territories.