The Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Latvia draws attention to the dissemination in the information space of false reports alleging the deaths of servicemen as a result of a shooting involving a Ukrainian serviceman during the international military exercise “Baltic Trust 26” in Latvia.

As officially stated by the National Armed Forces of the Republic of Latvia, this information does not correspond to reality. The exercise took place without any such incidents.

The Latvian side has also identified signs of the coordinated dissemination of false information, including through artificially created social media accounts and the use of fabricated information materials designed to imitate well-known international media outlets.

The Embassy of Ukraine strongly condemns attempts to exploit the participation of Ukrainian servicemen in international military exercises for the creation and dissemination of false narratives aimed at misleading the public, undermining trust in official sources of information, and discrediting cooperation between Ukraine, Latvia, and NATO Allies.

Such information manipulation once again demonstrates the importance of a responsible approach to information, particularly when it concerns security, defence, and the activities of the armed forces.

We call on representatives of the media, the general public, and social media users to verify information through official and reliable sources, refrain from sharing unverified reports, and pay particular attention to materials that may imitate the visual identity or style of reputable international media outlets.

The Embassy of Ukraine expresses its full confidence in the official information released by the National Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia and highly values the close and consistent cooperation between Ukraine and Latvia in the field of security and defence.

We call on everyone to rely exclusively on verified information and official statements issued by the competent authorities.