Propagandists are distributing on telegram channels, where they spread pro-Russian rhetoric, a video in which men in military uniforms are leading an actively resisting woman somewhere. Publications are signed with the words “The Territorial center of recruitment and social support has taken on women”, hinting at the allegedly forced mobilization of women in Ukraine.

In this case, propagandists simply used a video with a different context to create a fake. In fact, the distributed video shows a conflict between a woman and employees of the State Border Service of Ukraine, which occurred in Transcarpathia, as experts from the StopFake project found out.

Press secretary of the Mukachevo border detachment Lesia Fedorova, in a comment to the Suspilne, clarified that the incident occurred on June 30, 2024 on the outskirts of the village of Nyzhnia Apsha, Tiachevskyi district. The driver of a Mercedes-Benz Vito minibus, while in a queue of cars at the checkpoint, drove into the oncoming lane and tried to evade the check.

“The woman ignored the legal demands of the border guards, arguing her refusal by not wanting to stand in line because she was in a hurry to go on vacation. During communication with the 19-year-old border guard, the woman behaved rudely and dismissively, using obscene language and offensive sayings. Then, having made a maneuver dangerous to the life and health of the serviceman, she fled the scene at high speed”, said the press secretary of the Mukachevo border detachment. Border guards pursued the car that violated the rules, and, despite the woman’s resistance, detained her and took her to the border unit, where they drew up a report on an administrative offense under Art. 185-10 of the Code of Ukraine on administrative offenses.

Mobilization in Ukraine is one of the main themes that Russian propaganda actively uses to spread disinformation and destabilize the situation in the country. In particular, Russian propaganda not only disseminates information about abuses during mobilization, presenting them as a “common occurrence”, but also creates outright fakes and staged videos to demoralize Ukrainians. The narrative that there are already not enough men in Ukraine and therefore women are being mobilized is also one of the common ones.