Debunking Russian fakes. No, The Independent didn’t write about Ukraine becoming center of monkeypox virus 

Russian propaganda has a tactic of spreading fake magazine and newspaper covers from worldwide outlets to promote its narratives. 

Recently, a pro-Russian Telegram channel shared the post with a picture of the August issue of a British outlet, The Independent. The front page has a headline about a possible collapse of a healthcare system in Ukraine, which might become a cause of the spreading of a new variant of the monkeypox virus to Europe. 

We’ve debunked this fake—let’s see how it was constructed. 

What happened? 

Telegram channel Shkvarka News (“Шкварка News”), which systematically spreads Russian propaganda, reported that a British outlet, The Independent, supposedly put an article headline, “Ukraine could become a Mpox vector for the whole of Europe: Ukraine’s health care system is overloaded with wounded military personnel and is unprepared for a new global challenge” on its front page.  

Analysis 

Now, The Independent’s front page that’s included in the post is dated August 16. So, we’ve checked The Independent’s official website and its X and Facebook pages to search for the original one.

On Friday, 16, a new online issue of The Independent really was released (the newspaper’s last paper issue was released in 2016). 

The original front page, though, features an article about the results of entrance exams in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland instead of a photo from a healthcare institution and information about Ukraine.

Are there Mpox cases registered in Ukraine? 

According to Ukraine’s Health Ministry data, this variant of the monkeypox virus has not been registered in Ukraine. However, cases like these have already been reported in European countries. 

“Because cases of the disease have already been observed worldwide, Ukraine held an urgent meeting of the Operative Center for Reacting to Public Health Emergencies. Currently, we assess the risks of this disease spreading in Ukraine,” the website says. 

The Health Ministry also reported that the monkeypox virus was included in the list of biological pathogen agents to be epidemiologically observed. 

So, Russian propaganda, using the fake cover of The Independent, tries to push a false narrative about major sanitary losses Ukraine’s troops experience. But there aren’t even any monkeypox virus cases registered in Ukraine as of August 30. 

Conclusion: Fake