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Ukraine will send women and old men to the front at the insistence of the West, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda citing the head of Russia's foreign intelligence services.
Propaganda: Due to huge losses during the counteroffensive, Ukraine will have to enlist the elderly and women
NEWS: The US calls on the Kyiv regime to expedite mobilization and enlist women, as well as men between the ages of 17 and 70, said the director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergey Naryshkin.
“The West is asking Zelensky to ignore the losses and convince the international community that Russia cannot win the conflict in Ukraine. According to the Foreign Intelligence Service, the US is calling on Kyiv to step up mobilization efforts to recover the enormous losses caused by the failed counteroffensive. The American and British coordinators of Kyiv recommend to the military-political leadership of Ukraine to lower the minimum age of enlistment to 17 years and increase it to 70 years, while also mobilizing women," Naryshkin said.
NARRATIVE: The US and UK call on Ukraine to mobilize women and elderly
Reality: A draft law is being discussed in Kyiv that would allow men above the age of 60 to remain in the army
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: The information presented by Sergey Naryshkin as a major discovery by Russian intelligence actually refers to a publicly discussed draft law in Ukraine that aims to eliminate legislative rigidity regarding the mobilization of men into the army. In early October, Kyiv media reported that the Verkhovna Rada was considering a bill that would give men aged 60 to 70 the option to remain in the armed forces or join the army voluntarily if they are healthy and have appropriate military training. It is not about the forced enlistment of elderly people, as the Russian press writes, but about giving the possibility to men who have reached the age of 60 to continue their military service.
According to the explanatory note published on the website of the Kyiv Parliament, the Ukrainian legislation is outdated and does not allow officers who have reached the age of 65 to conduct combat operations , and soldiers who have reached the age of 60 – to continue the military service. Therefore, in the context of the continuation of hostilities and the accumulation of invaluable experience by the Ukrainian military personnel, those who wish to continue their military service can do so.
Nryshkin also resumes a false narrative about the mobilization of women in the army, noting that this is requested by the US and Great Britain. The Russian spy chief offers no evidence to support the narrative. In reality, women can only be drafted voluntarily into the army. Also, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense does not recommend sending women to the front. According to official data, there are about 59,000 women in the Ukrainian army, but only 5 thousand are in the front area . Only 62% of the mobilized women are military personnel, the rest being civilians who help the army far from the front, including near the border with NATO and the EU.
It should be noted that, in order to mobilize old men and women in the army, the Supreme Rada must introduce amendments to the Mobilization Law and dozens of other laws closely related to it. The legislative process could take several months and involve public debate. According to the media in Kyiv, it is unlikely that the Ukrainian MPs will introduce amendments to the mobilization law in the midst of the war with Russia. Some minor changes are not excluded, but not of the proportions mentioned by Naryshkin.
As for the mobilization of minors under the age of 17, it is prohibited by the Ukrainian legislation on the protection of children's rights. Naryshkin offers no evidence when he accuses the West of insisting on sending old men, children or women from Ukraine to the front, trying to convince the Russians that Ukrainian operations to liberate territories in the south and east of the country have resulted in huge human losses.
Through this false narrative, pro-Kremlin propaganda shifts the blame to the West for starting and continuing the war in Ukraine. In reality, the American and British leaders did not start the war, nor did they advocate its continuation, but spoke for a lasting peace - which, however, means that Russia withdraws its troops, does not kill civilians and stops violating international law.
As Veridica has recently reported, the Russian press has written that peace in Ukraine depends on the US and Zelensky’s departure. According to Russian propaganda, the West needs the war in Ukraine, so Russia is forced to extend its military operations.
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