Decision already made?
A pro-Russian propaganda user frequently sharing on Facebook recently claimed that “NATO and the EU have decided that as the number of men in the front lines in Ukraine decreases, women will need to be mobilized.”
Although this fabricated narrative from Russian propaganda is not new, it seems to have intensified recently. Discussions may have been fueled by comments from well-known politicians, and Ukrainian institutions have recorded several cases of this narrative spreading in recent weeks.
Also read: Forced recruitment of women in Ukraine? No, it’s just Russian propaganda
Also read: Will women really be mobilized in Ukraine?
Examples of propaganda – more than one
Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov mentioned women’s mobilization on August 20 in an interview with Radio Svoboda. In his opinion, military service should be mandatory for both men and women. He explained that by requiring women to serve, “the mobilization reserve would immediately double.”
US Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg also contributed to the discussions when on August 24, in an interview for the YouTube channel “Naspravdi MAX,” he said: “Do I think women should be mobilized into the army? My answer is yes, because they fight no worse than men.”
Due to these personal opinions, the discussion revived in the Ukrainian media, but no decisions were made at the state level.
Ukraine’s Center for Combating Disinformation (CPD) on September 10 noted that Russia started a new campaign about an alleged forced mobilization of women. According to the center, the source of false information was the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. It claimed that Europe “demands Kyiv to start mobilizing Ukrainian women,” and the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas allegedly called it “a step in the right direction.”
On the same day, another case of disinformation about women’s mobilization was noticed. Propaganda channels began spreading a forged photo showing an alleged tender published in the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s “Prozorro” system to buy 150,000 women’s winter jackets. Russian propaganda presented this as proof of preparations for women’s mobilization. However, no such purchase exists in the system.
At the end of August, CPD warned about an AI-generated photo circulating, supposedly urging women to go fight in medical institutions, and distorted information from The Telegraph newspaper on this topic.
Also read: Russian propaganda announces women’s mobilization in Ukraine but is wrong
Also read: Women’s mobilization is not happening in Ukraine: fake news spread with a silly mistake
CPD already noticed in June that the narrative about women’s mobilization in Ukraine intensified in Russian propaganda.
As CPD points out, Russia systematically manipulates this topic. The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is not a reliable source of information. It constantly spreads false information based on alleged “inside information.” Its goal is to divide Ukrainian society, incite panic in the country, and discredit cooperation with European partners.
Such fabrications are part of a systematic disinformation campaign. Military service for women in Ukraine is voluntary.
Proposals received a response
Soon after K. Kellogg’s interview, the Ukrainian parliament issued an official statement assuring that women’s mobilization is not being carried out, prepared, or considered.
“The National Security, Defense, and Intelligence Committee of the Verkhovna Rada officially reports: there are no legislative initiatives, bills, or even internal discussions regarding women’s mobilization.
Statements by individual persons publicly discussing this topic do not reflect the official position of the committee,” the statement reads.
According to political analyst Ihor Reiterovych, K. Kellogg’s remarks might have been more of a coincidence and sharing of personal experience, considering that his wife and daughter served in the military. However, O. Reznikov’s statement, in the analyst’s opinion, could have been an attempt to divert attention from other problems.
Read more Missing minor found in Lentvaris
“I think there was some request from the President’s office to divert attention from other problems with such statements,” said I. Reiterovych.
“Currently, (women’s mobilization) is nothing more than an irritating topic that attracts attention, gathers many views, but is fruitless. I can’t imagine how the Ukrainian parliament could vote for something like this,” he said.
In his opinion, the government could seriously consider women’s mobilization only if Ukraine faced a “catastrophic shortage of conscripts.”
As explained by Defense Strategies Center analyst Viktor Kevliuk, “O. Reznikov’s idea is theoretically logical, but in practice, it has many drawbacks.”
Most women serve in medical, logistics, or drone operation fields, not in infantry units where the shortage is greatest.
“It is unlikely that mass recruitment of women into such positions would bring a qualitative breakthrough in the near future,” the analyst assessed.
Moreover, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in 2023 that he would never sign a law on mandatory women’s mobilization.
What do the laws provide?
According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, more than 75,000 women currently serve in them. About 55,000 of them serve as military personnel, and the rest hold civilian positions. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, their number has almost doubled.
The law regulating military service provides that women in Ukraine can register for service voluntarily. Women with medical and pharmaceutical education must register for military service, but they can also be mobilized only voluntarily.
The Kharkiv territorial conscription registration center emphasizes that women’s registration for military service is not the mobilization of female medics but only the collection of data about the medical specialist reserve in the country. Women registered in the military can be called up for military service or involved in work to ensure state defense during wartime on a voluntary basis.
The Verkhovna Rada in 2024 adopted for consideration bill No. 12076, which includes a provision allowing women who meet health and age requirements to register for military service as conscripts and complete basic training.
This bill sparked considerable discussion and Russian propagandists’ falsehoods, but it does not mean universal women’s mobilization in Ukraine.
It stipulates that women who express a desire to perform mandatory military service are, at their own request, included in the military conscription register.
After completing basic military service, women, again at their own request, are included in the conscription list and can be mobilized.
15min verdict: false. Neither NATO, the EU, nor Ukraine has made decisions on mandatory women’s mobilization in Ukraine. Women serve voluntarily in the country’s military.
The publication was prepared by 15min in cooperation with Meta, aiming to stop the spread of misleading news on social media. More about the program and its rules – here.
Read more „Queens of Roses“ member Akvilė Kisielienė gave birth to her second child: chose a rare name
