In March 2025, the media and Telegram channels reported on an advertising campaign allegedly launched by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine - young people were encouraged to join the service and receive 1 million UAH, which could be used to buy 15,625 cheeseburgers. We have verified the accuracy of this video.

The nearly minute-long video began circulating on social media on March 20. In the video, a man standing outside a McDonald's restaurant asks the question: how many cheeseburgers can you buy for 1 million UAH? Giving the answer as 15,625, he adds: “I’m not suggesting you buy UAH 1 million worth of cheeseburgers. I offer you something else - to earn 1 million UAH.” Next, the man invites Ukrainians aged 18 to 24 to sign a contract to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, receive 1 million UAH for it and spend it “on cheeseburgers, on an apartment, on anything.”

This unusual advertisement for military service in Ukraine was reported on such Telegram channels as “Dmitry Nicotin"(354,000 views at the time of writing this analysis), "Evil proof️"(227,000), "Voblya • news"(145,000), "Bloodseeker 2.0» (96,000), as well as the TV presenter’s channel Vladimir Solovyov (238,000). They wrote about the video “Komsomolskaya Pravda", Ren-TV, "Constantinople", Lenta.ru and other Russian media.

Viral video. Source: Telegram

Since 2024, the Ukrainian authorities have been taking measures to attract new military personnel to repel Russian aggression. In particular, the minimum age for mobilization reduced from 27 to 25 years old (later allies called for Kyiv to go further and start conscripting to the front from the age of 18), and from all those liable for military service demanded update personal data in territorial recruitment centers (TCCs, analogues of military registration and enlistment offices). Many Ukrainians complain to the fact that TCC employees regularly exceed their authority, sending men to the training unit literally from the street (to describe this phenomenon, the term “busification"). Problems with mobilization in Ukraine are regularly used in the rhetoric of Russian officials and propagandists. For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly claimedthat by its actions in this area Kyiv shows a negative attitude towards the Ukrainian people, and later expressed concernsthat in the event of a truce, Ukraine can take advantage of the ceasefire to carry out additional mobilization. Coverage of this topic in pro-Kremlin media is often accompanied by the spread of fakes, some of which earlier sorted it out "Checked."

At the very beginning of the viral video, the man says: “Yes, this is indeed a TikTok of the Department of Defense.” On website there are no department links to his TikTok social media accounts - only X, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. However, TikTok has a verified account Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, and the video that became viral, indeed, was published there on March 20, 2025. At the time of writing this analysis, it received 760,000 views. The next day they posted it on the page second video from the same series, which clarifies that in fact the full payments for signing the contract will be not 1 million, but 2 million UAH, and also tells how exactly this money is paid and for what. This post was less popular, with 141,000 views.

Both videos advertise the so-called “Contract 18–24"is 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 dated February 11, 2025. It is understood that young men who have entered into a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in addition to salaries and additional payments, will be given the opportunity to independently choose their military specialty and unit. Upon completion of service, program participants are promised numerous benefits: the right to travel abroad, free travel on public transport, an interest-free mortgage, a discount on utilities, etc.

The project caused a mixed reaction among the Ukrainian military. Thus, the publication "Focus" quotes military psychologist from the engineering support group of the 67th separate mechanized brigade Andrey Kozinchuk: “All this looks as if decisions are made in Kyiv without taking into account the reality on the ground. Young people do not always receive adequate training, and there are fears that when their year of service ends, they will not be given the benefits they were promised, and sometimes may even be left without support.” According to the opinions of military personnel who were gathered in material TSN news program, “Contract 18–24”, on the one hand, “is unfair to people who have not left the front line for three years” without receiving additional payments for this, and on the other hand, “an initiative with payment of 1 million UAH per contract can become a key factor in attracting young and motivated people.” As he writes “Ukrainian truth"with reference to the press secretary of the Ministry of Defense Dmitry Lazutkin, already in the first days after the start of the project, the army received more than 10,000 requests from those wishing to sign such a contract through the Reserve+ mobile application.

Thus, the viral video is a real advertisement for an experimental project to attract young people to the Ukrainian army.

Cover photo: screenshot of a viral video