Photographs with flyers that are supposedly made by the British Embassy in Ukraine with recommendations for UK citizens on what to do if they meet Ukraine’s enlistment/recruitment officers [representatives of state’s recruitment centers, abbreviated in Ukrainian as “ТЦК та СП” — ed.] have been shared through various Telegram channels. Our fact-checking team looked into the legitimacy of these photos and flyers.
What happened?
The flyers from what supposedly is the UK Embassy in Ukraine are being shared online. The flyer includes recommendations for people from Britain on what to do when faced with Ukraine’s enlistment officers.
As such, the flyer says that, because of ongoing mobilization in Ukraine, UK citizens are advised to avoid enlistment officers and not sign any documents [offered by “representatives of TCC” — ed.]
Here’s what the flyer says:
“If you see a group of people in military clothes next to a cargo van or minibus, it is recommended to avoid contact with them, for example, go to the other side of the street. If contact could not be avoided, follow the following rules;
Immediately inform that you are a citizen of the United Kingdom;
- Present documents confirming your status;
- Be calm, do not raise your voice, do not gesticulate, do not maintain eye contact with a TCC employee;
- Do not respond to rudeness, provocations, pushing, racist statements;
- In case you are being led somewhere, do not resist,
- If you find yourself in a transport, do not try to get out of it. Do not panic. Wait until you are brought to your destination;
- Upon arrival, request to contact the Consulate of the United Kingdom by phone +380 44 490 3660;
- Talk less with representatives of a TCC, do not sign any documents, wait for consular assistance.“
These flyers have been shared in Telegram channels called Medved (“Медведь” (archive) and UKR LEAKS (archive), which, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation and Cyberdepartment of the SSU (SBU), is included in the List of tools for spreading hostile disinformation and considered pro-Kremlin.
Analysis
First, we analyzed the flyer and found two inconsistencies. The flyer says, “there is a general mobilization of men from 25 to 65 years old on the territory of Ukraine.”
According to Part 6 of Article 22 of Ukraine’s Law 3633, which regulates military service, mobilization, and military accounting, mobilization covers men from 25 to 60 years, not 65. Men from 18 to 60 also have to have documents providing information about their military accounting status.
Moreover, according to Part 6 of Article 1 of Ukraine’s Law 2232, which regulates conscription, mobilization in Ukraine does not cover foreigners or individuals without citizenship in Ukraine’s territory. They cannot be conscripted. They can only join the service in the Armed Forces, National Guard, etc. voluntarily.
After discovering inconsistencies in the flyer, we wrote to the UK Embassy in Ukraine, asking if they published flyers like these with recommendations for their citizens. They denied ever doing so and called the information fake.
So, this is another fake piece produced by Russian propaganda, spread to discredit mobilization in Ukraine and portray the country as chaotic and lawless, one that mobilizes foreign nationals even though the law forbids it.
Conclusion: Fake
Author: Viktoria Horak
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