The manuals in question are intended for a wide range of readers, do not reveal any classified information of the Alliance and are not official «NATO training manuals».
It is widely claimed on social networks and pro-Kremlin Telegram channels that the Ukrainian military is allegedly selling NATO training manuals intended for training soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Internet. This fake hints at corruption and the sale of Western military aid on the black market, the lack of discipline in the Ukrainian army and the leakage of sensitive military information.
Russian propaganda claims to have seen such ads on Ukrainian resale sites such as olx.ua or prom.ua.
The manuals mentioned by Russian propagandists can indeed be found for sale in open access both on bookstore websites and on platforms for selling goods. But it is important to emphasize that the distribution of such books does not constitute a crime, disclose any secret information or serve as evidence of corruption in the army.
These books themselves indicate that they are intended for a wide range of readers interested in military affairs. Moreover, although these manuals refer to NATO standards, they are not official «textbooks of the Alliance».
In addition, there is a separate NATO library where you can access various manuals, doctrines, methodological materials on a wide range of topics from military strategy and international security to science and technology. Some materials may indeed have access restrictions due to the level of secrecy or copyright. Thus accreditation or special permission is required to access a number of documents. But this definitely does not apply to the information provided in books sold in Ukrainian online stores.
This is yet another Russian manipulation, which is being spread with the aim of discrediting Ukrainian military personnel.
StopFake has previously refuted other similar fakes in the stories Fake: Ukrainians Sell Aid From Moldova on Marketplaces, Fake: Museum Objects Sold in Ukraine to Raise Funds for the Armed Forces and others.
