Spilnota Detector Media

Fake Feminists bought a pink tank for the Armed Forces of Ukraine

In the Georgian segment of social networks, a photo of a pink tank is being circulated. The inscription for this photo is in Russian. Like, European feminists raised money and bought a tank for Ukraine. It was painted pink because green was too touchy. Also, the barrel of the tank was allegedly cut off because it looked sexist. It is not true.

The photo of the pink tank was taken at Manchester Pride in 2007 and has nothing to do with Ukraine. Myth Detector fact-checkers could not find in open sources information about the purchase of a pink tank by European feminists for Ukraine.

By spreading such fakes, Russian propaganda serves several purposes: ridicules and devalues volunteer assistance and Western arms supplies to Ukraine, and also tries to discredit the LGBTQ+ community.

Detector Media talked about Russian disinformation about LGBT people.

Message Gays are recruited into the Ukrainian army because there is no one to serve anymore

The Russian media repeatedly manipulates the topic of LGBT military personnel. This time, messages are being spread that there is no one to fight in Ukraine anymore, so gays, lesbians, and transgender people are being recruited. Russian society is characterized by intolerance and homophobia, considering representatives of the LGBT community to be "perverts", people not worthy of respect. LGBT people in Russia are often discriminated against, for which the perpetrators, according to the law, cannot be brought to justice. When talking about LGBT people, propagandists pay attention exclusively to their sexual orientation, erasing the fact that homosexual people can be specialists in various fields just like heterosexuals. In particular, in the military.

LGBT people have been serving in the Ukrainian army for a long time and, in particular, have been defending the borders of Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, in 2014. The Constitution of Ukraine stipulates that "all people are free and equal in their dignity and rights. Human rights and freedoms are inalienable and inviolable". During the draft, the military commissions do not ask about sexual orientation, because people are not selected for the army based on it. On the contrary, the fact that additional attention will be paid to it can be considered discrimination.

In Ukrainian society, as well as in the army, there are still certain problems with bullying or intolerance towards LGBT people. Despite this, Ukrainian LGBT soldiers fulfill their duty to protect the state. Manipulations of Russian propaganda about the fact that in Ukraine "there is no one to serve" is a wish that is passed off as reality.

The fake about Ukrainian "gays in the army" is not new. Earlier, Russian propagandist Olga Skabeyeva voiced on the air of her program that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr ZeZelenskyon the orders of US President Joe Biden, sent "columns of Ukrainian homosexuals" to Donbas.

"Media Detector" previously refuted the myths about the LGBT+ community, which are widespread in the Ukrainian media and society, and also told how LGBT activists oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine.