Category Children

Fake: First Children’s Brigade Being Formed in Ukraine

In a comment for StopFake, the 117th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade in the Sumy region claimed that this information is fake. There is even no 153rd brigade in the Armed Forces. Instead, the 153rd separate battalion of the territorial defense was formed in Shostka at the very beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. In Ukraine, only citizens over the age of 18 are considered conscripts and can be drafted.
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Fake: Ukraine Wants to Ban Teenagers Aged 16 From Leaving The Country

A draft law on the protection of children's rights during temporary departure from the country, which aims to unify Ukrainian legislation with that of the European Union. Parliamentarians propose to limit independent travel from Ukraine abroad for teenagers aged 16 to 18. Teenagers will be able to make such trips only if accompanied by a parent or trusted person.
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DISINFO: Ukrainian security services turn children into terrorists like the Nazis did in WW2

Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative about Nazi Ukraine. The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has long been a cornerstone of pro-Kremlin disinformation efforts. This has already been widely debunked and addressed on EUvsDisinfo. The claim that the Ukrainian security services turn children into terrorists is false. The Kremlin spreads fake content on the internet, claiming that teenagers in Russia receive calls for terrorism from Ukraine. The Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) has warned about this.
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Fake: Ukraine “Forced” Schoolchildren to Study in Shelters “for PR”

Due to Russian aggression and occupiers' attacks on civilian infrastructure, only a third of Ukrainian schoolchildren have the opportunity to study full-time in a face-to-face format. More than 4,100 schools in Ukraine have been destroyed or damaged. That is why Ukrainian schools practice mixed methods - online and offline - in safe shelters underground.
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These photos do not show Ukrainian ‘children’ being sent to the front

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, some have claimed that "children" are being recruited into the Ukrainian army. Three viral photos, purporting to show graves of very young soldiers, have been shared since mid-August as evidence of this phenomenon. However, two of these three photos have been manipulated, and actually show the burial sites of adult men.
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Claims that Vladimir Putin destroyed an ‘adrenochrome warehouse in Ukraine’ lack evidence

A recent blog post builds on a fictitious narrative that Russian President Vladimir Putin is stymieing the production of adrenochrome in Ukraine.......We found no credible news reports or sources to corroborate the unfounded allegations, which were published on Real Raw News, a site that regularly posts fake news. The blog's stories are written by someone using a pseudonym and the site has a disclaimer saying it contains "humor, parody and satire," though the author has defended his stories as truth. The same site wrote separately that Putin intercepted a shipment of adrenochrome bound for the United States. We rated that Pants on Fire!......We rate claims that Putin destroyed an adrenochrome warehouse in Ukraine Pants on Fire!
Read MoreClaims that Vladimir Putin destroyed an ‘adrenochrome warehouse in Ukraine’ lack evidence

Vladimir Putin didn’t intercept shipment of chemical compound adrenochrome

Adrenochrome features heavily in QAnon conspiracy theories, which purport the baseless idea that a global cabal of pedophiles is harvesting the chemical from the blood of children to stay young and healthy. That's false, and so is the claim that Putin foiled a shipment of it. We found no credible news reports or other sources to corroborate the claims in this post. Real Raw News has a disclaimer saying it contains "humor, parody and satire," though the author has defended his stories as truth. The website also regularly publishes false, fantastical stories authored by someone using a pseudonym. We rate this baseless post Pants on Fire!
Read MoreVladimir Putin didn’t intercept shipment of chemical compound adrenochrome