In reality, Ukrainian legislation does not allow individuals under the age of 18 to sign up for military service. The quote attributed to a Ukrainian MP is entirely false.
Kremlin-linked media outlets have circulated claims that Ukraine has authorized 17-year-olds to sign contracts with the Armed Forces. The reports cite an alleged televised statement by Ukrainian MP Ruslan Horbenko, who purportedly said that enlistment is now permitted from the age of 17.
‘You’ve heard many times that our partners are pressuring Ukraine to lower the enlistment age. We responded with a bill to that effect — now anyone aged 17 to 25 can sign a contract worth a million,” the MP allegedly said.
Claims that Ukraine has permitted minors to enlist in the Armed Forces are false. Ukrainian law explicitly prohibits individuals under 18 from signing military contracts. According to the Law of Ukraine ‘On Military Duty and Military Service,’ the minimum age for voluntary enlistment remains 18.
Kremlin-linked outlets have attributed the claim about lowering Ukraine’s enlistment age to MP Ruslan Horbenko, alleging he made the statement during a recent broadcast of the TV program Superposition. However, StopFake’s review of the episode found no such statement. No official Ukrainian sources have confirmed the claim. The story has largely been disseminated by Russian state media and anonymous Telegram channels tied to Russian intelligence, which clearly indicates yet another Russian information campaign aimed at portraying Ukraine as engaging in ‘child mobilisation’ and reinforcing the narrative of the ‘militarisation of Ukrainian society’.
In an earlier appearance on the Vechir.LIVE broadcast, MP Ruslan Horbenko discussed the potential launch of an ‘18–24’ contract initiative, aimed at encouraging voluntary enlistment among Ukrainians aged 18 to 24. At no point did he mention lowering the official mobilization age. His comments were limited to a discussion of recruitment efforts targeting young adults interested in joining the Armed Forces.
StopFake had previously debunked a similar false claim alleging that Ukraine planned to begin registering teenagers for military service starting at age 14.
