Propagandists twisted the politician’s statement. In reality, it was about the fact that Germany had previously promised to help Ukraine with the treatment of children in case of need.
A special evacuation flight to Germany for children from Okhmatdyt was planned even before the strike on the hospital — such «sensational» news was spread by pro-Russian sources, citing German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. This was allegedly reported by the Russian-language Deutsche Welle service. According to propagandists, this statement proves that Ukraine struck the building of Okhmatdyt itself with the aim of provocation right before the NATO summit in Washington.
Screenshot — X (Twitter)
However, this news is a manipulation that twists the words of Karl Lauterbach. The screenshot from the Deutsche Welle account is real, but the journalists conveyed the essence of the minister’s statement incorrectly. In reality, on his X (Twitter) account, Lauterbach wrote that he promised the Ukrainian Health Minister, Viktor Lyashko, to accept sick children in distress at any time, and that the evacuation flight with Okhmatdyt patients would leave on Wednesday, July 10. He also emphasized that the targeted attack on the children’s hospital once again proves that Putin is a war criminal. Therefore, Lauterbach’s statement did not say that the parties agreed in advance to take out the patients of Okhmatdyt. Instead, he meant any Ukrainian children in need of medical treatment abroad.
The evacuation takes place within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). Under this program, Germany has already accepted more than 1,100 patients, including children — this figure is the highest among the EU countries. Three German medical institutions have agreed to accept patients from Okhmatdyt: university hospitals in Greifswald and Rostock, as well as Berlin’s Charite.
We remind you that as a result of the Russian attack on July 8, the toxicology department of Okhmatdyt was completely destroyed, and four more buildings were damaged. Among them is the building of the Children’s Cardiology Center.
With such fakes, Russia is trying to convince its own citizens and the global community that Ukraine launched a missile attack on a children’s hospital itself. We already refuted this narrative in the article Fake: Children’s Hospital Ohmatdyt Hit By Ukrainian Missile.
