In July 2023, the Russian-language segment of the Network circulated a photograph of an unusual order from the commander of one of the Ukrainian units. We checked whether the Ukrainian Armed Forces introduced the ban reported by the media and Telegram channels.
Since July 20, pro-Kremlin resources have been distributing photos of the order, which was allegedly issued by the commander of the Ukrainian 47th separate mechanized brigade “Magura” Alexander Sak. From the part of the Ukrainian-language text captured in the frame, we can conclude that it talks about the need to “carry out preventive work with soldiers and officers who potentially fall into the category of persons of non-traditional sexual orientation,” and to inform about the ban on “open sexual activities between colleagues.” In case of violation of the order, military personnel allegedly face “trial under the laws of martial law,” and the entire initiative is explained by “cases of incapacity of individual combat units.”
With captions in the spirit of “gays from Zelensky’s favorite brigade are prohibited from intimate relationships,” this photo went viral on social networks (“Zen", VKontakte, Twitter). The news gained particular popularity on Telegram, where it was posted, in particular, by the channels “Voenkor Kitten"(164,000 views at the time of writing this analysis), "Ukraine.ru"(90,000), "Mriya" (49,000) and "Reports of the Novorossiya militia Z.O.V.» (35,000)
In Ukraine, there are no restrictions on the admission of persons of non-traditional sexual orientation to military service, fixed-term or contract. An obstacle for this, as for any other person, can be diseases included in a special list. In 2016, the Main Directorate of Moral and Psychological Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported, which did not record a single complaint against the leadership of military commissariats regarding restrictions on the opportunity for LGBT+ representatives to serve. And in July 2023, the British publication The Telegraph published article, from which it followed that the number of openly LGBT soldiers in the Ukrainian army today is relatively large and the attitude towards them is gradually changing for the better (the same trend throughout the country fix and local activists).
The 47th separate mechanized brigade "Magura" was educated in November 2022 on the basis of the assault regiment and in a short time gained fame as a unit that emphasizes a modern approach to military affairs, continuous training and nurturing the internal culture of military personnel. “Verified” was unable to find any messages dedicated to the above-mentioned order of brigade commander Alexander Sak, not only on Ukrainian official resources, but generally in the Ukrainian press or even social networks. Appearing on the Internet on the morning of July 20 in Russian (according to our data, first on the channel of military correspondent Kotenok), this news remained mainly within the Russian-language segment of the Network, and in that part of it that supports the Kremlin’s policies. On the other hand, the order itself on the sheet is marked as “internal”, which means it should not have been published by definition. However, it is difficult to imagine that at least one self-respecting Ukrainian publication, having verified this news, would not report such a decision.
Let's take a closer look at some of the details of the alleged documents. One of the sheets contains the names of Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov and the head of the National Agency of Ukraine for Civil Service Natalya Alyushina.
Representatives of the Ukrainian government organization “Center for Countering Disinformation” contacted with Alyushina, and she said that such a document does not exist - according to her information, it was fabricated.
Other details also attract attention. Yes, standard order structures of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine contains a field on the left under the header in which the topic of the document is stated. It is missing here.
At the bottom of the header of the dubious order, as in the example above, the city of Kyiv is indicated. However, the 47th brigade, together with its commander as of July 2023, she fought in the Zaporozhye region. Kyiv is a place where orders usually mention the Ministry of Defense itself. Orders for the unit involved at the front may be issued at the place of permanent deployment, but Verified was unable to find confirmation that the Magura brigade is assigned specifically to the capital.
The name of the military unit in the position of Alexander Sak does not correspond to the standard form. Usually the author of the order is presented as the commander of a particular military unit (in this case the number should have appeared A4699), while in the viral photo Sak is named as the brigade commander.
Finally, according to constitution Ukraine, justice in the country is carried out exclusively by the courts. “Martial Law Tribunal” is a concept that does not exist in the country’s legislation. Such wording can be used in a private conversation and even a political speech, but not in an official document.
Thus, there are many signs that indicate that this is not a real order.
Cover photo: social networks
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