At the end of June 2025, photos and videos showing an advertising poster for the Ukrainian “Contract 60+” program went viral on the Internet. It is reported that older citizens are attracted to military service with the promise that with the payments they will be able to complete the construction of a bathhouse. We have verified the accuracy of this news.
Judging by the photos and videos, the advertisement for “Contract 60+” appeared on some kind of electronic screen. The image shows a gray-haired, bearded man in a military uniform with a patch in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, with a log structure visible behind him. It is indicated that the military personnel who signed such a contract will be provided with uniforms and food, as well as a monthly allowance in the amount of 30,000 UAH (about $720). “Enough to finally finish building the bathhouse,” says the Ukrainian-language slogan. The nine-second video appears to show the same screen as in the photo. At the same time, sounds are heard in the background, allegedly indicating that the video was recorded in a public place.
June 30 in the Telegram channel of the Russian TV presenter Olesya Loseva (16,000 views at the time of writing this analysis), the alleged advertisement for the “Contract 60+” was described as follows: “Zelensky wants to drive old people into the trenches. "30,000 UAH, free grub. Enough to finally finish building the bathhouse!" - the advertising post promises. There is no limit to the impudence of the Ukrobander mind. Here we are talking about real old people - with rheumatism, radiculitis, hemorrhoids and other related age-related ailments. They want to take in quantity! It doesn’t matter how long the grandfathers will last. It can be attributed to old age.” The publication contains the same photos and videos as illustrations.
According to the TGStat service, at the time of writing this analysis, about 140 similar Russian-language entries had appeared on Telegram, which in total received more than 760,000 views. Channels such as “Russian Kolobok and green stick"(184,000 views), Voblya (129,000), "Cat Kostyan"(82,000), "Wrong side" (38,000), "Actually in Kharkov" (30,000) and "Ragulyaku to gylyaku"(29,000). Similar publications can be found on VKontakte (examples here, here And here), X (here And here), Facebook, "Odnoklassniki" In addition, the TV channel “Don 24"and edition Life.ru.
At the end of April 2025, the Ukrainian press reportedthat deputies of the Verkhovna Rada have introduced a bill providing for the opportunity for citizens over 60 years of age to voluntarily sign a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the text of the document, if they are found fit by the military medical commission, they will be able to occupy non-combat positions for a year with the subsequent possibility of concluding a new contract. In addition, a probationary period of two months is provided for this category of citizens. “We are not talking about some assault units, but about signalmen, cooks, lawyers. They would like to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine and be useful,” explained Deputy from the pro-presidential party “Servant of the People” Alexander Fedienko. Already at the beginning of June the Verkhovna Rada accepted this bill is in the first reading.
How notes The Ukrainian “Forensic-Legal Gazette”, the country’s Ministry of Defense did not previously support the idea of attracting people over 60 years of age to non-combat positions in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the State Border Service pointed out corruption factors in the bill. “By the second reading we will provide those safeguards that the military fears,” promised Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence Fyodor Venislavsky. In particular, we are talking about preventing the mass signing of contracts by former colonels and lieutenant colonels in order to receive cash payments and subsequent recalculation of pensions. According to Venislavsky, not everyone over 60 years old will be able to sign a contract - this opportunity is provided only for a limited circle of unique specialists.
At the same time, none of the “Verified” publications found specifies where and when the authors of the photo and video saw such an advertising stand. The viral photos and videos themselves are made in such a way that it is not possible to determine the location depicted on them.
“Verified” did not find evidence of the authenticity of such advertisements for the “Contract 60+” either on the resources of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which allegedly released such materials, or in general in the Ukrainian-language segment of the Network. On the contrary, Ukrainian media called Such messages are fake Russian propaganda. The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Defense Council of Ukraine agrees with these conclusions. “Having verified this information with the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the Center reports: no such advertising campaign currently exists in Ukraine,” - it was said in his message.
Having carried out the reverse search According to the viral image on the TinEye service, you can find the original photo of a man in military uniform, allegedly advertising the “60+ Contract.” This photo has been available on stock image sites for several years now (Freepik, Adobe Stock, Alamy And Shutterstock). Its author is Ukrainian photographer Sergei Bobik. Judging by this and other photographs from the same series, her subject portrayed a US military serviceman or veteran. Thus, on his right sleeve there is a noticeable patch with the American flag, while in the viral advertisement the Ukrainian flag is applied to the serviceman’s equipment. How noticed Ukrinform agency, in March, an original photo in one of its notes about the German army used pro-Kremlin TV channel Tsargrad.
The earliest publication with viral advertising (among those found “Verified”) appeared on June 30 at 14:07 Moscow time in the Telegram channel “Frivolous news» with the username KomitetZ (2400 views). At the same time, the name of the file with the viral video contains an earlier date: 2025-06-23, that is, the video could have been created on June 23, a week before publication. Previously, "Frivolous News" has already were mentioned “Verified” as the primary source of the fake - fake instructions for photographing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Istanbul. Just a few minutes after this channel, at 14:15, a similar post about advertising “Contract 60+” was published in the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel “Bear"(8300 views). This is one of the record holders for the number of mentions in our analyzes; it has repeatedly become the primary source of the spread of misinformation.
Thus, at the time of writing this analysis, the bill allowing Ukrainians over 60 years of age to voluntarily enter contract service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine has not yet been adopted. Be that as it may, the viral advertisement for the corresponding program initially appeared in pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, previously caught publishing anti-Ukrainian fakes, and is based on an old photograph of a man in an American military uniform. Ukrainian authorities also denied the launch of such an advertising campaign.
Cover photo: social networks
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