On May 18–19, TV channel Imedi, in its 5:00 PM Kronika news broadcast, as well as Russian-language (1,2) and Georgian-language Facebook accounts, shared a video which, according to the accompanying descriptions, allegedly shows a case of forced mobilization. In the video, a man is lying on the ground and convulsing. According to the accompanying information, employees of the military commissariat in Odesa beat the man while attempting to detain him, and when he collapsed unconscious, they abandoned him and fled.
The video was sourced from the Telegram channel Одесса INFO ⚓️ 🇺🇦 Новости | Одеса. Based on this channel, the story, without the video, was also spread by Russian media outlets (ren.tv, news-odessa.ru).
The footage does not depict forced mobilization. Ukraine’s National Police confirmed to Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation that the man was under the influence of alcohol and then suffered an epileptic seizure. A bystander called emergency services.
The footage, which allegedly shows forced mobilization in Ukraine, was verified by the Center for Countering Disinformation. The organization contacted Ukraine’s National Police. Upon verification, it was revealed that the man was intoxicated and suffered an epileptic seizure, after which he collapsed. Later, a woman found him and called an ambulance.
Accordingly, the claim that he was beaten by members of Ukraine’s police, central intelligence service, or special forces is false.
Russian propaganda sources frequently circulate claims of forced mobilization in Ukraine. Myth Detector has previously exposed video manipulations on this topic.
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