Ukrainian soldier Photo: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This article was first published by Truthmeter.mk (North Macedonia), within the framework of Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Project.

Contrary to what is stated in the post, Ukraine’s preparation for national resistance does not mean that “14-year-old children will be recruited.” The announced approach means that the cycle begins at the age of 14, more precisely through participation in military-patriotic games such as “Sokil,” “Jura,” as well as studying the updated subject “Defense of Ukraine,” which is already being implemented in schools and vocational education

We analyze a post on the social network Facebook which says:

Ukraine will recruit 14 year old children!!!
Fight to the last Ukrainian.
Few are aware that this war is a war against the people in the EU and Russia…. Mass impoverishment of the middle class and the largest number of extremely wealthy corporations.

The post shares a snippet of text that says “Ukraine will begin military training for teenagers from the age of 14.”

What is this really about and will Ukraine really recruit 14-year-old children? That is not true. Namely, it is a statement by the acting head of the Department for National Resistance Policy at the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Igor Khort.

But the announcement from Khort is not that 14-year-olds will be recruited as falsely claimed in the post we are reviewing.

Conscription is compulsory enlistment in the state military forces. And Khort announced something completely different–​he announced military training for young people from the age of 14. Teenagers from the age of 14 will participate in military-patriotic games, and will also study the updated academic discipline “Defense of Ukraine.”

Khort’s announcement is about a major reform of the military training system implemented by Ukraine–for youth and students. Ukrainian media outlets report that a new cycle of training for national resistance will be introduced, which will begin at the age of 14. As Igor Khort explained, instead of the classic basic combined military training in Ukraine, they plan to introduce a new program–“On the Fundamentals of National Resistance.” It will cover all citizens, starting from school age, and includes not only training, but also the formation of readiness for national resistance.

The training will begin with participation in military-patriotic events, such as “Sokil” and “Jura,” as well as studying the updated subject “Defense of Ukraine,” which is already taught in schools. But this does not mean that 14-year-old students will be part of the army, contrary to the post we are reviewing. According to the announcement of higher education institutions, “On the Fundamentals of National Resistance” will be taught. According to Khort, unlike the previous system, the new model will focus on practical skills: handling weapons, tactics and firearms training. This should increase the level of real combat capability.

After completing their studies at educational institutions, citizens will serve basic military service. It will become a mandatory part of the general training system. As a representative of the Ministry of Defense explains, such a model should make the country’s defense capability massive and sustainable.

In addition, special training centers are planned for reservists, students, and volunteers aged 18 to 60+. Everyone will be able to train, learn how to handle weapons, and assess their level of combat readiness.

It’s not about military specialty. It’s about motivation, about readiness to defend the country. The subject “On the Fundamentals of National Resistance” will be mandatory for both boys and girls. If you don’t want to pass, drop out of school, Khort emphasized.

Contrary to what is stated in the post, Ukraine’s preparation for national resistance does not mean that “14-year-old children will be recruited.” The announced approach means that the cycle begins at the age of 14, more precisely through participation in military-patriotic games, as well as studying the updated subject “Defense of Ukraine,” which is already being implemented in schools and vocational education.

Khort recalled that after completing their studies in educational institutions, citizens will be required to serve basic military service, which will become part of general training. The goal of the new model is to make the country’s defense massive and sustainable.

Since March this year, the Ukrainian Army has begun recruiting people between the ages of 18 and 24, on a voluntary basis, as the country’s armed forces face a serious shortage of soldiers to prevent an invasion by Russian troops.

The post repeats Russian propaganda that this is a “fight to the last Ukrainian”, but does not state that it is self-defense of a sovereign independent state with a legitimate and democratically elected government, which was attacked in 2022 with an unprovoked military invasion by Russia. This war is claimed in the post to be a “war against the people of the EU and Russia,” alluding to the fact that the population of Ukraine is impoverished due to the war. But above all, as the post claims, this is a war against the people of Ukraine, who are voluntarily fighting for their country, for its defense, and are under strong attack by Russia.

It was Russia that attacked Ukraine in February 2022, and Ukraine, as an independent state, has the right to defend itself and use the available funds received as help from its friends. NATO is sending military aid to Ukraine, without being a participant in the war. The West is helping Ukraine defend itself from the Russian military invasion and maintain its territorial sovereignty and integrity. On this path of self-defense, various narratives appear in which Ukraine is presented as occupied by Western countries or their puppet, in order to wage war against Russia. But this is far from reality, because the government in Ukraine is sovereign, democratic, elected in democratic elections, and the citizens of Ukraine have the sovereign right to decide on their future and which alliances they will lean towards.

The Observador fact-checkers debunked a disinformation claim in March 2025 that “Ukraine’s parliament is preparing a law that would allow all boys over 14 to be drafted into the country’s armed forces.” No such law exists, and Ukraine does not conscript 14-year-olds into the army.

Ukrainian sources also write that Igor Khort’s statement given on August 4, 2025 to the Ukrinform agency, where a roundtable discussion was held on changes in patriotic education in schools and universities, is being misused by Russian propaganda.

The new security policy will serve only for the defense of the homeland and national resistance, not for the recruitment of 14-year-olds into the armed forces of Ukraine.

Due to all the above facts, we assess the post we are reviewing as untrue.