The claim that Estonia is supplying contaminated meat to the Ukrainian Armed Forces is unfounded. Pro-Kremlin outlets manipulated remarks from an Estonian official to suggest that unsafe products were being shipped to Ukraine. In fact, the minister referenced canned meat produced from animals that were culled during routine veterinary inspections but showed no signs of disease. The products meet safety standards and are deemed fit for consumption.
Several Russian media outlets, Telegram channels, and social media accounts are circulating claims that Estonia plans to send Ukraine canned meat made from wild boars infected with African swine fever (ASF). According to these reports, Estonian Minister of Regional Development and Agriculture Hendrik Terras allegedly proposed repurposing meat from ASF-infected animals for Ukrainian military rations.
In reality, the claim is a clear-cut case of disinformation aimed at undermining support for Ukraine. Estonian Minister Hendrik Johannes Terras did suggest that wild boar meat could be used for canned food supplied to the Estonian military and as humanitarian aid to Ukraine. However, he explicitly referred to healthy animals culled as part of veterinary measures to curb the spread of African swine fever — not infected livestock, as Russian propagandists allege.
Estonia is actively pursuing a range of biosecurity measures to curb the spread of African swine fever, a deadly viral disease affecting domestic pigs. Among these steps is the targeted culling of wild boars in regions where the risk of transmission is highest, as the disease can spread through contact between wild and domestic populations. The Ministry of Regional Development and Agriculture underscores that past efforts to reduce the wild boar population have been effective in lowering ASF infection rates.
On July 30, Estonian Minister of Regional Development and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras announced that the government would begin purchasing meat from wild boars culled in ASF control efforts—provided the animals tested negative for the virus—to produce food products.
“I’m going to the government to request additional funds from the reserve to help hunters acquire refrigerators to store the meat and to enable the purchase of wild boar meat that can then be canned and sent to Ukraine,” Terras said.
Olev Kalda, head of the Animal Health and Welfare Department at Estonia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food, confirmed that any meat from wild boars testing positive for African swine fever is destroyed and excluded from processing.
The circulation of such disinformation seeks to erode public trust in Ukraine’s Western partners and discredit international assistance. By portraying aid as unfit or degrading, propagandists aim to foster resentment and suspicion within Ukrainian society, suggesting that allies hold Ukraine in contempt. The broader objective is to weaken morale and fuel internal division.
StopFake has previously dismantled similar narratives, including false claims that France had “supplied Ukraine with broken Caesar howitzers.”
