August M
Russian state media and pro-Kremlin channels are being accused of launching a disinformation campaign claiming a deadly hantavirus outbreak is spreading among Ukrainian soldiers.
Ukrinform reported that the false reports appeared shortly after international attention focused on a hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius.
Claims spread online
According to Ukrinform, Russian state agency TASS published claims about alleged infections among Ukrainian servicemen while citing an unnamed source.
Other Russian outlets then expanded the story, alleging Ukrainian military commanders had supposedly blocked treatment for infected troops.
Smaller pro-Russian Telegram channels and Facebook accounts later claimed outbreaks had appeared in the Sumy, Kharkiv and Lviv regions.
No evidence provided
Ukrinform stated that none of the allegations had been supported with documents, medical records or official confirmation.
The original TASS report reportedly did not identify the source’s position, expertise or affiliation.
There was also no evidence backing claims that Ukrainian military leadership had prohibited medical treatment for infected soldiers.
Cruise outbreak exploited
According to Ukrinform, Russian media appeared to use the real hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship as the basis for the false narrative.
The outbreak aboard the vessel resulted in several confirmed infections and multiple evacuations to hospitals in South Africa, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that five Ukrainian crew members had been aboard the ship but said none had shown symptoms of illness.
Experts reject propaganda
Ukraine’s Public Health Center said dozens of hantavirus infections are recorded annually in the country, but most strains spread only from rodents to humans.
Professor Olha Holubovska, an infectious disease specialist, stated that the dangerous Andes strain connected to the cruise outbreak is primarily found in North and South America rather than Ukraine.
The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security also rejected reports of a supposed hantavirus “epidemic” among Ukrainian soldiers.
According to Ukrinform, no official reports of outbreaks within Ukraine’s armed forces have been recorded.
Information warfare continues
Ukrinform reported that Russian propaganda networks have repeatedly used health scares and fabricated military stories as part of broader information campaigns targeting Ukraine.
Officials warned that the latest claims relied heavily on anonymous sources and unverified social media posts rather than confirmed medical evidence.
Sources: Ukrinform, Ukraine’s Public Health Center, Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.
