Pro-Russian resources write that Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support employees began handing out draft notices to Ukrainian men in Warsaw. As proof, propagandists are distributing a video in which a man in military uniform allegedly issues a draft notice to a Ukrainian in the Polish capital.

In fact, the video is staged - it was shot by a Ukrainian military man who is undergoing rehabilitation in Warsaw after being seriously wounded in the war. The purpose of this production, according to the military man, is “to fray the nerves of evaders” who left Ukraine illegally. He spoke about this in a new video distributed by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.

Russian propaganda systematically speculates on the topic of mobilization in Ukraine, in particular, spreading disinformation. Propagandists fuel their narrative with this fake, saying that the Ukrainian authorities are pursuing a policy of “grabbing” ordinary Ukrainians. Moreover, from now on they will supposedly “catch” Ukrainians abroad. Previously, we worked on the Russian message, according to which paying assistance to Ukrainian male refugees seems to be much more expensive than transferring them to the service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that supposedly the Kyiv city authorities are closing all exits from the city in order to begin en masse conscription of all men. As proof, propagandists are disseminating messages from the Service for Infrastructure Restoration and Development in the Kyiv region about the closure of the bridge across the canal in Vyshhorod.

The information disseminated online is untrue, as reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. The publication of the Service states that the closure of the bridge is indeed connected with the start of its major repairs across the canal on the P-69 road Kyiv - Vyshhorod - Desna - Chernihiv. Traffic for all types of vehicles there will be blocked. However, during the period of major repairs, a pontoon crossing will operate, providing transport links for residents of the left bank part of the district and neighboring regions. That is, the opportunity to leave Kyiv, as well as enter the city, will be possible.

At the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, one of the spans of the bridge on the P-69 road Kyiv - Vyshhorod - Desna - Chernihiv was destroyed, so now the bridge is not able to withstand traffic loads and needs immediate repairs.

In this case, propagandists misinform Ukrainian society, in particular men, in order to intimidate and demoralize citizens, saying that now “one won’t even leave the city, not to mention the country”. In addition, with this fake, Russian propaganda fuels its narrative that a policy of “mobilization” of ordinary Ukrainians is allegedly taking place in Ukraine.

On hostile resources that broadcast pro-Kremlin rhetoric, they spread the message that men from “pro-Russian regions” are now being massively mobilized in Ukraine. They say that the most severe mobilization is taking place in Odesa, but the west of Ukraine is “not touched”.

“With Odesa everything is simple. There are too many people in the city who have a bad attitude towards the authorities and are neutral towards the Russian Federation, advocating an end to the war and further life anyway under some kind of flag (they once lived under the Soviet one, then under the Ukrainian one, and before under the imperial one, and that’s okay) . Based on this, it is necessary to increase the number of deaths among residents of such regions in order to increase aggression against everything Russian. This tactic is not new, Poroshenko has already implemented it”, said one of the anonymous telegram channels disseminating pro-Russian narratives.

This is manipulation. First of all, such messages are intended to impose the misconception that the lion's share of the population of Odesa supports Russia and is critical of the current Ukrainian government. This is also a typical method of indoctrination and dividing Ukrainians into classes: they say that Ukrainians of the “first class” (Ukrainians from the West part) are less likely to be drafted into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while the “lower classes” are used as consumables.

Black PR postcard “Three varieties of Ukrainians”, 2004. Source “Movement Honest”

Such rhetoric aims to sow division in society, to provoke suspicion and hatred of residents of some regions to others, since there is no accurate data on the distribution of those mobilized by region. General statistics with a clear number of mobilized in each region are not published in open sources. However, back in 2022, the head of the personnel department of the headquarters of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine argued that there are big mobilization plans in the western regions, since more citizens live there.

Previously, Russian propaganda distributed fake infographics that showed the percentage of mobilized citizens by region, where the Odesa region was in the lead.

Pro-Russian online publications and users of social networks are spreading a call to expel Ukrainian refugees from Germany to Ukraine in order to relieve the burden on the German budget to pay assistance to Ukrainian men and cover the “large losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine” with recruits. By spreading this thesis, they distort an article by Peter Carstens, a journalist for the German publication Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to liaise with and match Russian propaganda. It was analyzed by the fact-checker of the StopFake project.

The FAZ article does not call for the deportation of refugees. At the same time, the author compares the costs of social assistance to refugees who have received asylum in Germany with military support from Ukraine. From February 24, 2022 to September 2023, Germany has allocated approximately 24 billion euros to support Ukraine. Of this amount, more than 15 billion euros were allocated to help Ukrainian refugees. Data from the German Federal Government shows that military support to the Ukrainian army by the end of December 2023 amounted to only 5.4 billion euros. Carstens argues that this ratio of spending is ineffective in the context of the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine and it is necessary to increase the share of spending on military support for Kyiv.

Peter Carstens also presented the positions that exist in German society regarding Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees. In particular, he wrote that there are not enough workers in Ukraine not only at the front, but also for civil defense or for extinguishing fires. Carstens also quoted Bundestag member Roderich Kiesewetter: “It would be very helpful if the government could make an agreement so that these young people or older people can return without having to go to the front if they don’t want to”.

In early January, the topic of deportation of Ukrainian men from Europe appeared in fake news about the establishment of checkpoints to “filtrate” Ukrainian men with subsequent mobilization into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And also in conspiracy theories about the existence of a secret order for the return of men aged 18 to 60 years from abroad, otherwise their passports and Ukrainian citizenship will be revoked.

With such messages, propagandists try to incite distrust in the governments of states hosting Ukrainians. They are also manipulating the topic of developing a bill that could change the rules for registering those liable for military servicemen and performing military service.

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating information that Diia, the online government service, has begun selling tickets to the commercial show Evening Kvartal (“Evening Quarter”). Propagandists claim that in this way the state is promoting business, in the creation of which the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is involved. “Proof” of such information is a screenshot from the phone, which shows that the Diia mobile application offers the user to buy tickets, also at a discount.

This case was analyzed by the fact-checkers from the StopFake project and they found out that the information was not true. There is only one service in the official Diia app that could potentially offer a concert ticket purchasing feature: Entertainment. However, you can only watch TV, listen to the radio or play the game Drone Army. There is no “buy tickets” option there. It was also not possible to find the corresponding service on the official website of the Diia and the online service’s Facebook page.

In addition, specialists from StopFake contacted the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, which is responsible for Diia, with an information request whether Diia really offered users to buy tickets for the Evening Kvartal concert. The press service of the Ministry responded that it was “undoubtedly fake”.

This information dump is intended to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi, as well as the online public service service Diia, which allegedly cannot be considered trustworthy under these conditions. Moreover, according to Russian propaganda, such a “service” as selling tickets through Diia allegedly appeared in addition to another “service” of the mobile application - sending out draft notices for those liable for military service. However, the Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly denied information about “draft notices in Diia”. 

Propagandists are distributing an allegedly official letter, which states that Ukrainian men born between 1960 and 2006 who have submitted documents to obtain a passport at the foreign representative offices of the Document State Enterprise will receive temporary travel documents to return to Ukraine. Data about them will supposedly be entered into the register of persons liable for military service and will be provided for verification to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support. Those who are wanted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support will allegedly have their passport revoked.

In fact, this information is not true. The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security wrote about this.

Firstly, the Document State Enterprise does not have the authority to issue “temporary travel documents for returning to Ukraine” - this is handled by diplomatic missions or consular offices.

Secondly, men born in 1960 are now 63-64 years old, in 2006 - 17-18 years old. Only men from 27 to 60 years old are eligible for the prize. Here is another proof of the falsity of the information.

Thirdly, the mentioned letter was allegedly signed by Volodymyr Shvachko, but he was suspended from exercising his powers as general director for the duration of the internal investigation from December 26, 2023 to January 19, 2024. That is, he could not do this. If this “document” were real, it would not have been signed by Shvachko, but by a temporary acting official.

Fourthly, the “letter” contains a number of errors, including spelling errors. For example, “as received” is a tracing-paper from Russian. The text of the “letter” itself begins with the words “At your request”, but does not first contain the name of the person who made this request - this is unacceptable in official business correspondence.

By distributing this fake document online, Russian propaganda is trying to intimidate Ukrainian men abroad, saying that “the authorities have taken them seriously: they will all be found and mobilized”. This release of information took place against the backdrop of a sensational bill dated December 25, 2023 to improve certain issues of mobilization, military registration and military service. In particular, it proposes to introduce verification of men who are abroad. In addition, it spells out the negative consequences of violating the law if it is adopted in its original form.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are distributing a photo of an “announcement” allegedly posted in one of the Kyiv hospitals. It says that from the beginning of 2024 it seems impossible to get to a doctor “without a military ID”. The “announcement” refers to the so-called Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 147 of December 26, 2023. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck analysts investigated the case and found out that such a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers simply does not exist. There are only three documents on the government portal for the specified period (26.12.2023). However, they in no way relate to the procedure for visiting medical institutions. Moreover, only those liable for military service have a military ID. That is, this is a person who has served in the military, has a military education, or has reached 27 years of age. In other cases - if the man has not reached the specified age, and also without military service or education, is a conscript and has a registration certificate. At the same time, after 60 years of age, men no longer become liable for military service - they are removed from the register. That is, it is illogical to demand a military ID from men during an appointment with a therapist, because everyone has such a document. Therefore, the announcement photos were most likely compiled using image editors.

But according to the director of the Department of Health of the Ternopil Military District, Olha Yarmolenko, for planned care (long-term treatment or planned surgery), military registration documents, including a military ID, may be requested from men of military age. The VoxCheck specialists add: according to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of December 30, 2022, this is necessary for the timely maintenance of military records.

Moreover, men do not need a military ID to sign a declaration with a family doctor. All one needs is a passport, identification code and telephone number.

This information is disseminated by pro-Russian resources. They say that in the Kyiv region, in Bila Tserkva, during the presentation of a draft notice to a young man, a dispute arose between him and representatives of the the Territorial center of procurement and social support, as a result of which the guy was allegedly beaten so much that he needed hospitalization. Over time, he allegedly died in the hospital. However, this is fake.

The police department and the Territorial center of procurement and social support  of Bila Tserkva have already published official refutations of this information, fact-checkers from the “No Lies” project report. No one knows the witnesses from the ambulance workers who allegedly responded to the call, or the relatives of the deceased. In addition, on December 29, 2023, the person who was the original source of the fake news, which was subsequently picked up by propagandists, was exposed and recorded an apology video.

Russian propaganda continues to systematically discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine. It happens that Ukrainians themselves help propagandists with this, as, for example, in this case. More refutations on the topic of mobilization can be found here.

Telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric disseminate information that pregnant women are being “mobilized” in Ukraine. At the same time, they refer to “material from a foreign journalist” in support of their theses. It is not true.

The VoxCheck analysts investigated the case and found out that the author of the material was not a “foreign journalist” at all, but was in fact a Russian propagandist. Accordingly, the content of the “journalistic text” is untrue and deceitful. Moreover, the material itself was published in the Bangladeshi edition of Weekly Blitz. As experts explained, the editor-in-chief of this publication worked as the chief correspondent of the Kremlin TASS agency in Bangladesh.

At the same time, the text of the Russian propagandist is filled with Kremlin narratives regarding Ukraine: both about the mobilization of women; or about the hated “Kyiv regime” and the “collective West”.

Russian propaganda is once again speculating on the topic of “mobilization of women”.  But only doctors and pharmacists must register with the military from October 1, 2023; however, military registration does not mean mobilization or the establishment of restrictions on travel abroad. The Ministry of Health notes: registration is necessary only to summarize data on the existing reserve of doctors in the country. The travel of this category of women is unlimited. To register for military service, this category of women will have three years - until December 31, 2026.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that the results of a survey from the statistical service of the European Union showed that the majority of German citizens are in favor of Ukrainian refugees being forcibly extradited. However, this is fake.

There are no such statistics on the Eurostat website, which the propagandists refer to. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. That is, information about the Germans’ support for the extradition of Ukrainian refugees is yet another propaganda fake. Another proof of the falsehood of the information is that this “survey” was not mentioned in any of the leading German media.

The goal of propagandists is to create the illusion that the world is tired of Ukrainians and Ukraine as a whole. Thus, Russian propaganda also seeks to demoralize Ukrainian refugees abroad, claiming that no one needs them and only creates problems where they come.

Read also: Ukrainians in Ireland are allegedly extradited to serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces

Propaganda resources write that all the new checkpoints and engineering barriers installed in Kyiv are used to distribute draft notices. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Security analyzed this case. They found out that, according to official data from the head of the capital’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, Serhii Popka, in different areas of the capital from December 25 to 28, 2023, the Defense Forces, together with the National Police and other units, are practicing training to increase the level of skills, interaction and combat effectiveness of all structures. These exercises involve the deployment of temporary checkpoints, the installation of restrictive signs, and elements of engineering barriers. There is also testing of vehicles, documents, checkpoint security elements, and certain demonstration, search and counter-sabotage activities.

Popko noted the systemic need for such training to identify shortcomings, correct mistakes and better prepare to protect the city and its residents from potential threats.

Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine by spreading fake news of this kind. The spread of the fake news about the distribution of draft notices at temporary checkpoints in Kyiv occurs against the backdrop of the Bill of December 25, 2023 to improve certain issues of mobilization, military registration and military service. More materials on the topic of mobilization can be found here.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that the results of a survey from the statistical service of the European Union showed that the majority of German citizens are in favor of Ukrainian refugees being forcibly extradited. However, this is a fake.

There are no such statistics on the Eurostat website, which the propagandists refer to. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. That is, information about the Germans’ support for the extradition of Ukrainian refugees is yet another propaganda fake. Another proof of the falsehood of the information is that this “survey” was not mentioned in any of the leading German media.

The goal of propagandists is to create the illusion that the world is tired of Ukrainians and Ukraine as a whole. Thus, Russian propaganda also seeks to demoralize Ukrainian refugees abroad, claiming that no one needs them and only creates problems where they come.

In the pro-Russian segment of social networks, information is being spread that Chernihiv has come up with a “working scheme” for mobilization. They say that advertisements offering help to people in difficult situations indicate the telephone number of the Chernihiv Regional Military Office. However, this is fake.

The fact-checkers from Ukrinform analyzed this information. Currently, territorial recruitment and social support centers are functioning in Ukraine, which have completely replaced the military registration and enlistment offices, which are allegedly mentioned in the “ads”.​​

In a comment to Ukrinform, representatives of the Chernihiv regional  territorial recruitment and social support centers emphasized that their institution was the first center of the country. “On December 28, 2018, order No. 1 of the institution was officially signed. This date, accordingly, is the day of the founding of the Chernihiv  regional territorial recruitment and social support centers together with the city and district territorial recruitment and social support centers of the entire region”, the center reported. In addition, the phone number provided by the propagandists is also not valid. The current telephone number of the Chernihiv Regional territorial recruitment and social support centers can be found on their official Facebook page.

Russian propaganda seeks to discredit the mobilization process, so it creates fake news on this topic. Previously, we refuted information that in Ukraine they allegedly call on people to mobilize into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with their entire families.

Kremlin media and social network users spreading pro-Russian rhetoric began to spread false information that a Ukrainian military man was allegedly sent to the front in Avdiivka for filming a video in TikTok, and there he allegedly died instantly. In such messages, Russian propaganda adds his humorous video about “cleaning the general’s garage”, next to information about the death of a certain “Valerii Tarashchuk”. However, this is fake.

After disseminating such information, StopFake decided to check whether it was true that the military man was sent to the front because of a video on TikTok and whether he really died there. As it turned out, the information disseminated is not true.

The StopFake specialists began searching for the deceased “Tarashchuk Valerii” using his photograph. The search tool on social networks Search4faces displayed the inactive profile of “Stiopa Ihonin” on VK. Using this name, we managed to find his active pages on Instagram and Facebook with the image of the “deceased” Valeryii Tarashchuk. There are links on Instagram to Tiktok, where they found the video that Russian propaganda used.

The StopFake specialists contacted the user for a comment - whether he really belongs to the video distributed by Russian propaganda and whether he was really sent to Avdiivka because of his TikTok. The author of the video, a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Stepan Ihonin, confirmed that this is his video, but the description that Russian propaganda provides him is fake. “I was shocked when my friends showed me this news. Everything that is written there is complete nonsense; I have not cleaned the garages of any generals. No one was looking for me and no one sent me to Avdiivka”,  said the military man. They also asked Ihonin about the inscription “I thought I was going to Avdiivka, but I went to clean the general’s garage” from the distributed video. The military man said that he did not make such an inscription. On his Tiktok profile, this video is without any captions and was published long before propagandists began to spread it.

They spread such fabrications to create a false image of Ukraine as a state that restricts the rights and freedoms of its citizens, as well as strictly censoring its media space. Moreover, propagandists resort to this to intimidate Ukrainians. They say that now they can be mobilized for humorous TikTok. Detector Media has repeatedly written about other Russian stories on the topic of mobilization in Ukraine.

Russian propagandists are distributing a photo of an advertising billboard showing a military man and woman in uniform, presumably in a combat zone. The billboard also features two slogans in the foreground: “together at home, together at the front” and “a military family is a special family”. That is, a man and a woman are allegedly calling on Ukrainians to mobilize into the army as families, and not alone. Russians claim that similar advertising appeared in Sumy. However, this is another fake.

The Center for Countering Information decided to contact the Sumy city military administration to confirm or deny this information. As it turned out, billboards with such content do not exist in the city or even its region - this is an invention of Russian propaganda. In addition, the photo taken by the Russians to spread this fake was taken back in 2021. It depicts married couples who began defending Ukraine back in 2016 as part of the 16th separate motorized infantry battalion.

The purpose of spreading disinformation of this type is to discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine. Moreover, these lies nourish the propaganda narrative that “the war will continue until the last Ukrainian”. Under the #mobilization tag, read more materials on this topic from Detector Media.

On social networks in the Russian segment, a screenshot of an alleged correspondence between an ex-officer of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, and an Instagram user is being circulated - and she allegedly wrote that “women should serve in the army”. It's fake.

The case was analyzed by VoxCheck analysts, who explained that on her pages on social networks, namely on X (formerly Twitter), Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine spokesperson Sarah Ashton-Cirillo reported that she did not correspond with the user about the mobilization of women and did not make such statements. She also noted that the Department of Strategic Communications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Commander of the Territorial Defense Forces reported this fake.

Thus, propagandists are trying to convince that the Ukrainian leadership is allegedly resorting to “total mobilization” and is trying to “lure” people into the army by any means.

In Ukraine, only doctors and pharmacists must register with the military from October 1, 2023. But registration with the military does not mean mobilization or the establishment of restrictions on traveling abroad. The Ministry of Health notes: registration is necessary only to summarize data on the existing reserve of doctors in the country. The travel of this category of women is unlimited. To register for military service, this category of women will have three years - until December 31, 2026.

Read also: information messages from the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly “hint” that women will soon be mobilized.

Users of social networks and media figures spreading pro-Russian rhetoric began to spread false information that in Ukraine a man without a leg was allegedly declared fit for military service. A photograph of the temporary certificate of the person liable for military service with the corresponding decision is used as “evidence”. They say that even with one leg, a Ukrainian was recognized not as disabled, but as “limitedly functional”. The fake document notes that the man was “recognized” fit for service with a diagnosis of “amputation stump of the right lower limb above the level of the upper third of the leg”. Such a document, apparently, was allegedly signed by the head of the Desnianskyi regional territorial center for recruitment and social support in Kyiv, Dmytro  Klabukov.

After disseminating such information, StopFake decided to check whether a man with such a diagnosis could really be considered fit for military service. As it turned out, this information is not true.

Firstly, the order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine “On approval of the Regulations on military medical examination in the Armed Forces of Ukraine” contains a clear list of diseases, conditions and physical disabilities that determine the degree of suitability for military service. Article 63 of this list also contains a diagnosis that propaganda added to the fake document - “unilateral amputation stump of the lower limb above the level of the upper third of the lower leg”. With such a diagnosis, as noted in the Ministry of Defense document, a person is considered “unfit for military service with exclusion from military registration”. According to information as of December 11, 2023, this order is in effect.

Secondly, in the widespread “document” there is an incorrect wording regarding suitability or unsuitability for military service - “Fit for military service. Limited functionality”. The fact is that the said order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stipulates that after a medical examination of conscripts, one of the decisions must be made: whether they are fit for military service; temporarily unfit for military service, needs treatment in...; requires referral for additional medical examination and repeated medical examination; unfit for military service in peacetime, limited suitability under martial law; unfit for military service with exclusion from military registration. If a person had health problems and was fit for military service, he would be written “limitedly fit under martial law”, not “fit for military service. Limited functionality”.

Thirdly, since the circulated photograph shows that the document was signed by the head of the regional territorial center for recruitment and social support and joint venture in Kyiv, StopFake decided to contact them for a comment on whether such a document was really signed there. The representative of the institution replied that this document looked like a fake. In particular, he drew attention to paragraph No. 7, which states fitness for military service for health reasons. It is in this paragraph that the diagnosis with which the man, as they claim, was considered fit, is indicated. In addition, the  territorial center for recruitment and social support representative added that, based on the information in the photograph distributed by propagandists, the man should have been excluded from the lists of those liable for military service “as a convicted person”  (based on the information in paragraph No. 8 of the document being distributed. - ed.).

Such fakes are spread to discredit the government and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as to cause panic among the population. They say that everyone is being drafted into the army because everything is bad at the front. Detector Media also wrote about other inventions of Russians on the topic of mobilization in Ukraine.

This was revealed by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Propaganda messages say that the commandant of the Lviv region, Taras Hren, allegedly asked the leadership of the Ivan Franko Lviv National University to provide information about all male students. And a photo of the corresponding “document” is added to the messages.

However, the Lviv Regional Military Administration explained that the commandant of the Lviv region or not a single unit of the Lviv Regional Military Administration sent such letters to higher educational institutions. So the document is fake.

Pro-Kremlin media are distributing a number of photographs with so-called propaganda leaflets, which are allegedly distributed in Kyiv to women, elderly people and children - thus calling for them to join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “Don’t ask questions - join the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, “Don’t sign up for a manicure, better sign up for the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, “Do you want to see your grandchildren in NATO?” - as in such propaganda. However, this is not true.

The fact-checkers at the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council analyzed the photographs and found out that such propaganda was fake and could not have been distributed by representatives of the Territorial centers for recruitment and social support or other military authorities. This is just Russian propaganda, because no one is mobilizing older people, children or women into the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

According to experts, such leaflets were not distributed on the territory of Kyiv or other Ukrainian regions from the official representation of the military leadership.

Previously, we documented a similar case, as if in Ukraine they were allegedly distributing propaganda to older people so that they would mobilize into the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated on social networks in the Russian segment. The reports say that Ukrainian women are allegedly “lured” into the army with beautiful pictures - and as proof they cite a probable screenshot of correspondence between the public organization “Ukrainian Valkiria” and a user of Instagram. In the correspondence, the organization invites the woman to come to the training ground to take “some good photos” to promote women’s service in the Defense Forces. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck analysts took up this case and turned to the Civil Defense for comment on refuting the information. They were told that the screenshot of the correspondence had nothing to do with their activities, because the organization conducts voluntary training for women in self-defense.

Thus, propagandists are trying to convince that the Ukrainian leadership is allegedly resorting to “total mobilization” and is trying to “lure” people into the army by any means.

Read also: information messages from the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly “hint” that women will soon be mobilized.

Propagandists are disseminating information that the first mobilized teenager from an orphanage died during the fighting. In these messages they refer to statements by the “director of the orphanage” Olesia Chykel. Together with them, they used a real photo of the deceased Ukrainian soldier. However, this is manipulation.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the picture shows a native of the village of Oselia, Yavoriv district, Lviv region, 26-year-old Volodymyr Sachala. On December 2, information about the death of a Ukrainian serviceman and an obituary dedicated to him appeared on the official page of the Yavoriv City Council on Facebook. It was these photos that the propagandists used. In addition, there is no evidence in the original publication of the Yavoriv City Council that the Ukrainian defender is a minor child of an orphanage who was drafted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Official information notes that after graduating from the Ivano-Frankivsk School in 2017, Volodymyr Sachala joined the ranks of the Ukrainian army. Over time, he was demobilized and returned to civilian life. In January 2023, Volodymyr again joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and served with the 24th Mechanized Infantry Brigade named after King Danylo. At the end of November, Volodymyr Sachala received injuries incompatible with life as a result of Russian mortar attacks. On December 4, the deceased defender was taken home.

In a comment for StopFake, Olesia Chykel, whom propaganda media called the “director of the orphanage”, also categorically denied the Russian reports. According to her, she is the administrator of a patriotic Ukrainian group on Facebook, where on December 2 she posted an official message from the Yavoriv City Council about the death of fighter Volodymyr Sachala. Russian media immediately picked up the post, but cut off the text of the message and came up with information about the “deceased orphanage resident”.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to reinforce the myth of Ukraine as a powerless state. They say everything is so bad at the front that children have to fight. However, in reality there is no mobilization of minors in Ukraine. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted the fabrications of Russian agitprop on the topic of mobilization.

Social media users spreading pro-Russian rhetoric are circulating a video showing a huge line of cars to enter the Ukrainian ski resort of Bukovel. They add comments where they are surprised why the territorial recruitment centers - a military command body that ensures the organization of military service and mobilization - does not check car drivers. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that the video in question actually dates back to 2021, before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine had yet occurred. So, the video has nothing to do with the realities of martial law, which was declared in Ukraine on February 24, 2022: the territorial recruitment center representatives could not be among the queue of cars to enter Bukovel. The mentioned video first appeared on the TikTok social network. It was published by user Oksana Panchak (nickname – @zozuliaksenya). Her post indicates that the video was filmed in 2021. This video was used by the page “Website of Yaremche and Vorokhta - the main news and events of the Carpathian region” on Meta’s social networks to advertise the start of the winter season in Bukovel. The corresponding publication appeared on the page on December 2. However, the post states that the video was taken from the archive for illustration purposes. Further in the comments, the authors of the publication once again emphasize that the video recording was made in 2021.

Such a massive dissemination of a video from Bukovel with almost identical captions regarding the territorial recruitment centers and the conditional division of society into those at war and “for whom there is no war”, probably indicates a new disinformation campaign to split Ukrainian society. Recently, Russia has intensified information pressure and the dissemination of false information, which could undermine the trust of Ukrainians in the political and military leadership of the country, as well as divide society, including on the issue of mobilization. Detector Media  has repeatedly refuted other stories on this topic.

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular on anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports cite a video excerpt of a service woman allegedly saying “indirectly” that all women in Ukraine will soon be mobilized.

The VoxCheck analysts investigated this case and explained that the video did not contain any “hints” or information that women would soon be mobilized into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After all, propagandists interpreted the video of the fighting in their own way and put forward such a thesis. However, it is baseless and unfounded - no legislative initiatives that would regulate mobilization “everywhere” simply exist in Ukraine.

Using a reverse search, experts found the video that the anonymous telegram people referred to in their messages: it was published on the telegram channel of the airborne assault troops. It talked about Iryna Tokarchuk, a doctor at the medical center of the airborne assault troops. She voluntarily joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; in the video she did not call for joining the army, but only explained her position on why she went to serve: “The war is not in the East or the South, it is in our country. If I close my eyes, nothing will change, the war will not disappear. So I choose to walk with my eyes open”.

However, there is no basis for interpreting the words of the doctor as indicating the impending mobilization of women. She only expressed her motivation for voluntarily joining the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In general, doctors and pharmacists must indeed register with the military from October 1, 2023, but registration with the military does not mean mobilization or the establishment of restrictions on traveling abroad. The Ministry of Health notes: registration is necessary only to summarize data on the existing reserve of doctors in the country. The travel of this category of women is unlimited. To register for military service, this category of women will have three years - until December 31, 2026.

Among other things, we recommend reading another of our documented cases, in which propagandists claimed that Ukrainian doctors and pharmaceutical workers were supposedly “escaping” from Ukraine en masse through the so-called mobilization.

Anonymous telegram channels are distributing a video that allegedly shows a draft notice  that came through the Diia government services portal. The authors add that the Ukrainian leadership “never keeps its promises”, because they previously assured that draft notices  would not be sent through the application. The messages claimed that the actions and words of Ukrainian officials could hardly be “trusted”. It's a lie.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project undertook to analyze the case, explaining that draft notices are not received in Ukraine because of Diia. At the same time, the image of the agenda itself shows signs of editing. For example, the draft notice indicates the first and patronymic, but does not indicate the last name. It is also written that the recipient needs to appear “at the military commissariat”. But, according to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated February 23, 2022, the commissariats were reformatted into territorial recruitment and social support centers.

At the same time, the image indicates: the data in the agenda was allegedly updated in October 2023. So, the photograph of the “draft notice” has been compiled. Analysts emphasize that during the video the hero did not touch the screen with his fingers - so, most likely, the Kremlin’s minions used a formatted photo and passed it off as the Diia interface.

By the way, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov stated that agendas will not be sent through Diia. The service does not contain any military registration services or notifications.

Pro-Kremlin media are distributing photos of propaganda leaflets that are allegedly being distributed to elderly people in Ukraine. “You have already lived your life - go to the front”, “Age is only in your head - join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, they say in such “propaganda”. The authors of the messages add that employees of territorial recruitment and social support centers allegedly force people to leave their data in order to later be forcibly mobilized. And they add that a case of forced mobilization of an elderly person has allegedly already been recorded in Kyiv. It's a lie.

The fact-checkers at the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council recorded this case and explained that such propaganda was fake and could not have been distributed by representatives of the territorial recruitment and social support centers or other military command bodies. During general mobilization, all citizens of Ukraine liable for military service aged 18 to 60 years can be called up for military service, unless they have legal grounds for obtaining a deferment or exclusion from military registration.

And according to the classification of the World Health Organization, the age of 60-75 years is considered elderly, senile - 75-90 years. Those who have reached 90 years of age and older are called centenarians.

Indeed, such official campaigns do not exist; no one is going to mobilize older people. But this does not mean that anyone, including the Kremlin’s minions, cannot create such leaflets using graphic editors, and subsequently the news about their “distribution”. Experts from the Center for Countering Disinformation have not determined the authenticity of the photo itself.

By the way, in our recent study on how Russian propaganda talks about older people, we analyzed the Kremlin’s messages regarding the so-called mobilization of older people.