On anonymous telegram channels, propagandists are actively distributing an alleged quote from the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umierov, where he allegedly calls for the mobilization of 16-year-old teenagers into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, because “why can guys make children from the age of 16”. However, this is a fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that Umierov did not make such a statement, and there is no mention of him on the Defense Minister’s social media accounts. In addition, the photo with the “quote” shows the UNIAN media logo. In fact, this quote is also not on the UNIAN website or pages on social networks. The publication has not maintained the “Quotes of the Day” column in the telegram since March 11, 2022. Current Ukrainian legislation, in particular the Law of Ukraine “On Military Duty and Military Service”, allows military service only from the age of 18.

Using such fakes, propagandists want to cause panic among Ukrainians and deliberately exaggerate the pace of mobilization. Like, everything is so bad in Ukraine that it has to mobilize teenagers. Detector Media has already refuted a number of fakes and manipulations on the topic of mobilization in Ukraine.