In March 2025, the media and Telegram channels spoke about the advertising campaign, which was allegedly launched by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, young people called to go to the service and get 1 million UAH, for which you can buy 15,625 cheesburgers. We checked the reliability of this video

For almost a minute, the video began to spread on social networks on March 20. In the video, a man standing at the McDonald’s restaurant, asks the question: how many cheesburgers can be bought for 1 million UAH? Having called the answer - 15,625, he adds: “I do not suggest you buy for 1 million UAH Chisburgers. I suggest you something else - earn 1 million UAH. ” Next, the man invites Ukrainians aged 18 to 24 years to sign a contract for the service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, get 1 million UAH for this and spend them “on cheesburgers, on an apartment, for anything”.

Such unusual advertising of military service in Ukraine was told by such Telegram channels as "Dmitry Nicotin"(354,000 views at the time of writing this analysis),"Zlaya Pruf"(227 000),"Voblya • News"(145,000),"Bladsiker 2.0"(96 000), as well as the channel of the TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov (238,000). They wrote about the video "Komsomolskaya Truth" Ren-TV, "Tsargrad" Lenta.ru and other Russian media.

Viral video. Source: Telegram

Since 2024, the Ukrainian authorities are taking measures to attract new military personnel to repel Russian aggression. In particular, the minimum age of mobilization reduced from 27 to 25 years old (subsequently allies Called Kyiv go further and start calling for the front from the age of 18), and from all military personnel Demanded Actualize personal data in the territorial centers of completion (TCC, analogues of the military enlistment offices). Many Ukrainians They complain The fact that the employees of the TCC regularly exceed their powers, sending men to the training unit literally from the street (the term "even appeared to describe this phenomenon in Ukraine"Busification"). Problems with mobilization in Ukraine regularly use Russian officials and propagandists in their rhetoric. For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly assertedthat by its actions in this area, Kyiv shows a negative attitude towards the Ukrainian people, and later expressed fearsthat in the case of a truce, Ukraine can take advantage of the cessation of fire for additional mobilization. The coverage of this topic in the pro -Kremlin media is often accompanied by the spread of fakes, some Of these earlier Disassembled "Checked."

At the very beginning of the viral video, the man says: "Yes, this is really a ticktot of the Ministry of Defense." On site There are no departments among links to his accounts in social networks Tiktok - only X, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. Nevertheless, Tiktok has a verified Account Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, and the viral video, indeed, was published There is March 20, 2025. At the time of writing this analysis, it gained 760,000 views. The next day on the page was posted Second video From the same series, which is specified that in fact, the full payments for signing the contract will be not 1 million, but 2 million UAH, and also tells how exactly and for what this money is paid. This post was less popular, it was watched 141,000 times.

In both videos they advertise the so -called "Contract 18–24" - an experimental project to attract Ukrainian youth to short -term (one year) military service. Initiative was launched Based on the Decree of the Government of Ukraine of February 11, 2025. It is understood that the boys who have concluded a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in addition to salaries and additional payments, will provide the opportunity to independently choose a military specialty and unit. Upon completion of the service, the program participants promise numerous benefits: the right to travel abroad, free travel in public transport, an interest -free mortgage, a discount on utilities, etc.

The project caused an ambiguous reaction among the Ukrainian military. So, the publication "Focus" quotes A military psychologist from the engineering support group of the 67th separate mechanized brigade Andrei Kozinchuk: “All this looks like decisions are made in Kyiv without taking into account reality in the field. Young people do not always receive proper training, and there are fears that when the year of service will end, they will not be given promised benefits, and sometimes they can even leave without support. ” According to the opinions of military personnel who are collected in material The TSN news program, “Contract 18–24”, on the one hand, “is unfair to people who have not crawled out with an advanced one” without receiving additional payments for this, and on the other hand, “an initiative with the payment of 1 million UAH for a contract can become a key factor in attracting young and motivated people.” As writes "Ukrainian is true»With reference to the press secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Dmitry Lazutkin, already in the first days after the start of the project, the army received more than 10,000 appeals from those who want to sign such a contract through the Reserve+mobile application.

Thus, the encouraged video is a real advertisement for an experimental project to attract youth to the Ukrainian army.

Photo on the cover: a screenshot of a viral video