DISINFO: The EU is pushing Kyiv to mobilise women
SUMMARY
The European Union is encouraging Ukraine to begin mobilising women due to a chronic shortage of troops and has asked Kyiv to make an immediate political decision on the matter. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described extending the recruitment drive to women as a step in the right direction during a recent informal meeting of EU foreign ministers. Kallas reportedly also warned that Kyiv could soon run out of manpower due to the growing shortage of men fit for military service, pointing to Israel as a model to follow.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine’s alleged desperation in the battlefield regarding Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.
Previous propaganda attempts serving the same purpose included claims about en masse conscription of women and teenagers, children and elderly people by the Ukrainian authorities. Pro-Kremlin sources also groundlessly claimed that Ukraine is training pensioners as tank crews because its military reserves are gone.
The claim originated directly from a statement issued by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) on September 10, 2026. It was published without any verified evidence or corroborating documentation. The SVR regularly pushes fabricated “insider information” to sow discord, spark panic, and damage relations between Ukraine and its European allies.
EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has rejected a false claim by Russian intelligence that the European Union is demanding that Ukraine start to mobilise women.
The EU has no intention of demanding that Ukraine mobilise women – this is Russian fake news, Kubilius said. "Now, I have no [such] information. I would say it would be strange if Europe will try to convince Ukrainians how to make mobilisation, including mobilisation of women.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly confirmed that compulsory female conscription is not happening
According to the Ukrainian Centre for Countering Disinformation, no forced mobilisation of women is taking place or being planned.
There is no legislation or active bill in the Ukrainian parliament regarding the compulsory conscription of women. Ukrainian women only serve in the Armed Forces on a strictly voluntary basis (with the exception of mandatory registration for citizens with specific medical or pharmaceutical degrees, which does not equal front-line conscription.
The mention of the “Israel model” was twisted from an unrelated media source. The narrative appears to distort a personal opinion expressed by a female Ukrainian drone operator. According to the agency, the claim is based on an article published by The Telegraph about women's experiences serving in the army. However, the article only mentions mobilisation for women once, in the context of a drone operator's personal views.
The operator, named in the article as Katya, reportedly said that she found Israel's conscription of both sexes inspiring, and that she'd like to see the same implemented in Ukraine. The article itself does not advocate for that.
Russian propaganda took this individual interview fragment and misattributed it as an official policy directive coming from EU High Representative Kaja Kallas.
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