DISINFO: A Ukrainian soldier sexually assaulted a police officer who mobilised him into the army
SUMMARY
A soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), forcibly mobilised into the army, took revenge on the police officer who sent him to the front and raped him.
RESPONSE
A pro-Kremlin disinformation about mobilisation in Ukraine. This is part of a wider disinformation campaign to promote the idea of a failed Ukrainian counteroffensive, the inevitability of Russia’s victory and ultimately the need to compromise and accept Russia’s terms.
There is no evidence to support the claim. A manipulated video is being circulated in which a journalist talks about a Ukrainian soldier raping a police officer involved in his mobilisation. However, the video is from an episode of the Ukrainian TV program “UKRAЇNA СЬОГОДНІ,” aired on January 10, where the presenter, Katerina Nesterenko, narrates this story in the “Fictional Stories” segment, reviewing Russian propaganda. The journalist states that the story is false and has not been disseminated by reliable sources. Read the full debunk of the story at Myth Detector.
A new mobilisation law came into force in Ukraine in May 2024.
Ukraine’s mobilisation bill was subject to approximately 4500 amendments, underlining the complexity of the issue. The final version focused on regulating the process of identifying and registering potential conscripts, reviewing eligibility for mobilisation, and revising penalties for evading service. Key points include the introduction of an online register for recruits and the lowering of the age for draft eligibility from 27 to 25.
See our analysis on how Russian special information operations try to undermine mobilisation in Ukraine.
Read also similar cases claiming that Kyiv is forced to mobilise men by force on the streets, that Ukraine mobilises pensioners, that Ukraine began mobilising women, that the Kyiv regime is desperately mobilising women into the army, that Kyiv has launched emergency measures to forcibly mobilise Ukrainians, that Ukraine is training pensioners as tank crews because its military reserves are gone, or that Residents burned down the enlistment office in Kharkiv because of the forced mobilisation.