An image of a fake poster that appears to be seeking blood donations from “pure-blooded Ukrainians” has been circulating online.
The faked poster shows a message in Ukrainian that reads: “Attention! From March 31, 2023, blood donations will be accepted only if you are a pure-blooded Ukrainian. Foreign citizens are prohibited from being donors. Please understand these restrictions. Administration” (here ).
Other versions can be found on Facebook and Twitter (here ) (here ).
The poster uses the logo of online medical hub Doc.ua. But Doc.ua released a statement saying it had nothing to do with the message and that it was “not involved in any blood collection or any other procedures related to donation” (here ).
Doc.ua, which helps users find doctors, make appointments or sign up for tests, said on its Facebook page: “Doc.ua stands for equal rights and opposes discrimination against any person. We believe that everyone should have the same opportunities and rights to receive medical care and other services regardless of gender, race, nationality, orientation, age, physical condition, and other factors. Doc.ua is always ready to help anyone who needs support and medical care and does everything possible to ensure equal access to these services for everyone.”
Reuters found no reference to any appeal for “pure-blooded Ukrainians” on the Doc.ua website or its social media accounts.
Igor Liski, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Effective Investments Group (EFI Group), which includes Doc.ua (efi.ua/en/personal/ ), also said the image was faked.
In a Facebook post published on March 1, Liski said the company was contacting the police about the fake poster (here ).
Under Ukrainian law, anyone with a permanent residence permit in Ukraine can become a donor. Legislation covering donations reads: “A blood and/or blood components donor can be any legally capable citizen of Ukraine, foreigner or person without citizenship who has a permanent residence permit on the territory of Ukraine” (here ).
The website for Donor.ua, an automated system for recruiting and managing blood donors in Ukraine, said it would only refuse donations in a very limited set of circumstances, including if they were from people with certain diseases or who engage in risky sexual behaviour (www.donor.ua/pages/4 ).
VERDICT:
False. The appeal for blood donations from “pure-blooded” Ukrainians is fake. The company mentioned in the fabricated image, and the company’s co-founder, say they had nothing to do with it.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.