Is the EU demanding that Ukraine mobilise women to bolster its forces against Russia's invasion?
ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT It's a question that many social media users are debating after the allegations emerged on X and through Russian-language Telegram channels in recent weeks.
The answer, however, is no. Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, a working body of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said that the claim originated from Russia's Foreign Intelligence Agency (SVR), which claimed, without evidence, that Brussels is pressuring Kyiv to forcibly conscript women.
Russia also wrongly said that the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called the move "a step in the right direction", according to the counter-disinformation service.
However, there is no evidence that any EU politician has made such a demand, and no reputable news outlet has reported that Brussels is pressuring Kyiv to conscript women.
Women can join Ukraine's defence forces voluntarily, but there are currently no plans to mobilise them compulsorily; neither is there any legislation to do so making its way through parliament.
The Center for Countering Disinformation previously repor...