DISINFO: Ukraine will mobilise Belarusian and Russian political refugees
SUMMARY
A bill is under preparation in Ukraine to make it possible to mobilise nationals of Belarus and Russia with a status of political refugee. They will be part of a special military unit for foreigners. In case of adoption, nationals of Belarus and Russia who escaped from their countries, will be subject to total Ukrainian conscription and will be sent to the frontline.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine’s alleged desperation on the battlefield, part of a wider disinformation campaign about the inevitability of Russia’s victory and ultimately the need to compromise and accept Russia’s terms.
There is no proof that such a bill is being reviewed in Ukraine. A fake document, containing Ukrainian language with mistakes, was being circulated to support this claim. An edited version of of a screenshot of a real letter from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov regarding the removal of the demobilisation norm from the then draft law No. 10449 on strengthening mobilisation.
No such provision is included in the new law on army mobilisation rules signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 16 April 2024. The newly adopted law obliges men to update their draft data with the authorities, boosts payments to those who volunteer and adds new punishments for draft dodging.
Previous disinformation narratives 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, and that the Kyiv regime is desperately mobilising women into the army.