From Krasnaya zvezda, Jan. 29, 2025, p. 5. Complete text:
Editors’ Note. – Ukrainian media continue to actively spread anti-Russian propaganda. Their main task is to harm the authority of our state, provoke public unrest, and sow panic and discord. Sources seek to attract the attention of the general public through sensational headlines and disinformation in order to cast doubt on the correctness of the activities of the Russian Armed Forces and the country’s leadership. Fake news from Ukrainian nationalists, accompanied by fabricated photos and videos, are exposed daily by our experts, who make every effort to convey the truth to our people [as illustrated by the following examples].
* * *
False: “[Ukrainian President] Vladimir Zelensky is ready for peace negotiations with Russia,” write Ukrainian Telegram channels, citing [US President] Donald Trump.
True: The individuals who have occupied Ukrainian positions of authority are so ready for negotiations that they are currently planning to start mobilizing 18-year-old citizens. This has long been demanded by Vladimir Zelensky’s Western partners, but he has been delaying the decision as long as possible – probably fearing that he will provoke his compatriots into riots or violence against the authorities and the territorial recruitment centers.
According to information from Ukrainian media, in order to soften these unpleasant prospects for the youth, Kiev is developing a plan of measures, which journalists have called the “Palisa reform” in honor of the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Col. Pavel Palisa. He revealed to the press that preparations for another lowering of the conscription age are in full swing. The colonel believes that this is about an “honest contract,” since potential recruits will be guaranteed certain financial incentives, training after service, and “measures to ensure dialogue between soldiers and their commanders.”
It is easy to guess the opinion held by the 18-year-old youths and their parents, based on the impressive migration of Ukrainian citizens who were willing to flee anywhere just to get away from Zelensky’s “financial incentives” and his “guarantees.”
Therefore, it is difficult to interpret Zelensky’s statement about readiness for negotiations as corresponding to reality. Last week, the head of the Kiev regime spoke at the Davos [World] Economic Forum in Switzerland, where he demanded an army of peacekeepers and additional financial assistance from forum participants to maintain the combat readiness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In addition, he once again publicly questioned the feasibility of peace agreements.
False: “Underage Russian citizens have started receiving draft notices for military service.” This has been reported on Telegram channels.
True: This is an intentional distortion of information. In reality, this is actually about the initial registration at 17 years of age. It is mainly registration and does not even involve a full medical examination.
According to Russian Federal Law No. 53‑FZ, “On Military Duty and Military Service” (dated March 28, 1998), male citizens of the Russian Federation are required to register for initial military service between Jan. 1 and March 31 of the year in which they turn 17. Electronic registration is provided to simplify the procedure, but medical examination is not required at this stage.
The determination of fitness category for military service is done later. At 18, conscripts are called to the military commissariat to clarify information, determine their eligibility for deferment, and undergo medical examination and professional-psychological testing.
Conscription into the Russian Army is, as usual, fertile ground for the imagination of Ukrainian nationalists, who try to convince the public of alleged illegal actions by Russia’s military-political leadership in organizing military registration and the next draft campaign in the country.
False: “In St. Petersburg, another raid was conducted to catch and mobilize migrants for the special military operation [in Ukraine],” write Ukrainian Telegram channels.
True: Ukrainian propaganda is distorting the content of news about a raid at one of the largest wholesale markets in St. Petersburg – the Kalininsky vegetable market. The event was aimed at finding violators of migration laws and has no relation to “mobilization,” which, unlike in Ukraine, is not being carried out in Russia.
In their reports about the raid on the vegetable market in St. Petersburg, Russian media did mention three foreign draft dodgers to whom the police handed summonses. The men had recently received Russian passports but had not registered for military service. Ukrainian propaganda seized on this fact and decided to make it the main element of its “news,” manipulating the audience’s consciousness, allegedly claiming that the raid had been conducted specifically to search for draft dodgers.