Debunking Russian fakes. No, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense didn’t order to create separate LGBTQ+ military units 

An alleged order from the Ministry of Defense to create separate units in the Armed Forces for the LGBTQ+ community started circulating online. Our fact-checking department verified this “news.” 

What happened?

What seems to be an order from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to create separate units for the LGBTQ+ community in the military was circulating online. According to the document, this is “to create a comfortable military structure and ensure the harmonious functioning of all army units.” 

Therefore, psychologists in military units are allegedly required to test for “belonging to the LGBTQ+ community.”

An anonymous Telegram channel Medved (archive), which, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation is on the “List of tools for spreading hostile disinformation,” and the Russian media outlet Podolyak’s Latest News and Reports (archive) spread this “order.” 

Analysis

First of all, we analyzed the document  and found the following inconsistencies:

• “armed forces”. Actually, the name of the institution is capitalized, so it should be “Armed Forces of Ukraine”;
• “Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General A.V. Barhilevich”. Incorrect spelling of a person’s position and surname. Barhylevych Anatolii Vladyslavovych holds the position of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

In addition, the document allegedly from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine does not include the signature of Minister Rustem Umerov but that of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is a signature from a completely different institution.

We also contacted the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which confirmed that the order spread on Telegram was a fake.

“Official documents of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are published on official resources and have clear requirements for execution. Visually, the fakes do not meet the requirements for documents in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

This is another fake of Russian propaganda aimed at discrediting the LGBTQ+ community in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Conclusion: Fake