Published on
Is the EU demanding that Ukraine mobilise women to bolster its forces against Russia’s invasion?
It’s a question that many social media users are debating after the allegations emerged on X and through Russian-language Telegram channels in recent weeks.
The answer, however, is no. Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, a working body of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said that the claim originated from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Agency (SVR), which claimed, without evidence, that Brussels is pressuring Kyiv to forcibly conscript women.
Russia also wrongly said that the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called the move “a step in the right direction”, according to the counter-disinformation service.
However, there is no evidence that any EU politician has made such a demand, and no reputable news outlet has reported that Brussels is pressuring Kyiv to conscript women.
Women can join Ukraine’s defence forces voluntarily, but there are currently no plans to mobilise them compulsorily; neither is there any legislation to do so making its way through parliament.
The Center for Countering Disinformation previously reported that pro-Russian propagandists had spread a false claim that Western media had launched a campaign in support of mobilising Ukrainian women.
According to the agency, the claim is based on an article published by The Telegraph about women’s experiences serving in the army. However, the article only mentions mobilisation for women once, in the context of a drone operator’s personal views.
The operator, named in the article as Katya, reportedly said that she found Israel’s conscription of both sexes inspiring, and that she’d like to see the same implemented in Ukraine. The article itself does not advocate for that.
Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space, has also rejected suggestions that the EU is demanding that Ukraine force women into the army.
Speaking to journalists on 11 September following the first board meeting of the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance, he said that he had “no information” on any such measure.
“I would say it would be strange if Europe will try to convince Ukrainians how to make mobilisation, including mobilisation of women,” Kubilius said. “I am not surprised that that comes from the Kremlin.”
The question of women’s conscription has nevertheless gained attention elsewhere in Europe. Denmark extended compulsory military service to women from July 2025, with the first women entering the system under the new rules in 2026 as part of a lottery-style system. It joins Norway and Sweden in having an active, universal conscription model.
In late 2025, the German government decided to introduce a voluntary model of military service for men, sparking a debate about the role of women in the armed forces too.
However, Germany is not an outlier in Europe: for countries that have compulsory military service, female enlistment is voluntary for the majority.