On January 7, 2024, a Georgian-language Facebook user published a post claiming that a secret order was issued in Ukraine that applies to men between the ages of 18 and 60, including those who left the country to avoid military conscription. According to the post, they are given 15 days to return to Ukraine, otherwise, their citizenship and foreign passports will be revoked, and they will also be charged with an article of the Civil Code that provides up to 15 years in prison. The user names a Ukrainian blogger as a source behind the disseminated information. In addition, attached to the post are two photos, a collage of Kim Jong-un and the Ukrainian blogger, and a shot showing a document and the caption СЕКРЕТНЫЙ ПРИКАЗ: МУЖЧИНЫ 18-60. АNNУЛИРОВАНИЕ ЗАГРАНПАСПОРТОВ [Secret Order: Men 18-60. Annulment of Foreign Passports.]
The Ukrainian blogger the Georgian user relies on is lawyer Taras Nikiforchuk, who published a video on his YouTube channel on January 7, 2024. His video was also shared on Facebook.
Nikiforchuk showed the document concerning the conscription and the annulment of foreign passports in a video and published it on his Telegram channel as well.
The document, on the basis of which the Ukrainian blogger disseminates information about the annulment of passports and automatic conscription for mandatory military service for male citizens of Ukraine abroad, is fabricated. The Center for Combating Disinformation and the Center for Strategic Communications of Ukraine denied the widespread claims.
After the dissemination of the documents, the Center for Countering Disinformation of Ukraine and the Center for Strategic Communication responded to the information.
According to the document, the Passport Service will transfer to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine the data of those citizens of Ukraine born between 1960-2006, who apply for a Ukrainian passport abroad at the Passport Service offices; They will receive not passports, but a temporary documents to return to Ukraine from January 2, 2024; The data of these persons will be automatically included in the list of persons liable for military service and will be sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support (ТЦК) for verification, and persons who have applied for a passport abroad and who are wanted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the ТЦК will have their citizenship revoked.
Notably, the circulated document does not mention anything about arrest and imprisonment for up to 15 years, these claims are related to the interpretation of the document by the Ukrainian blogger.
The statements issued by the Center for Countering Disinformation and the Center for Strategic Communications note that the document is fabricated. The agencies note that the document is signed by Vladimir Shwachko, who was removed from the position of Director General of the Passport Service from December 26, 2023, to January 19, 2024, during the period of the official investigation. Accordingly, the document signed in January 2024 would not have been signed by him, and the official document would have been signed by his deputy during this period. Both agencies also note that the text of the document contains stylistic and spelling errors.
In addition, the Center for Strategic Communications draws attention to several other inconsistencies. The Passport Service is not authorized to issue temporary travel documents for return to Ukraine. This type of documentation is issued by diplomatic missions or consulates.
Also, those born in 1960 are currently 63-64 years old, and in 2006 they are 17-18, and currently, only men from 27 to 60 years old are subject to mobilization.
It is implied that from the age of 27, it is possible to mobilize capable men who have not completed military service. Under the age of 27, mobilization takes place in cases where a person has completed military service. Contract service in the army is allowed from the age of 18. In general, it should be noted that the conscription card can be sent to any adult man, although this does not mean mobilization to the front, as the procedure is required to update the database on conscripts.
Work is currently underway to lower the minimum age to 25 years, although the law has not yet entered into force.
The topic of mobilization in Ukraine is often targeted by disinformation. “Myth Detector” has debunked various false information related to this topic in the past:
- RUSSIAN DIPLOMATS SPREAD DISINFORMATION ABOUT THE MOBILIZATION OF MINORS IN UKRAINE
- DISINFORMATION, AS IF LEAFLETS FOR THE ELDERLY TO BE DRAFTED TO THE FRONTLINE ARE BEING DISTRIBUTED IN UKRAINE
About the Source
Facebook user Malkhaz Khabazi regularly spreads false information and conspiracy theories of anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian content. Fake news spread by the user has been debunked by “Myth Detector” a number of times in the past.
Archive links: Malkhaz Khabazi’s post; Taras Nikiforchuk’s posts 1,2.
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