Bizarre! Ukraine begins to use young people from Mc Donald´s to replace army rows

The Ukraine Ministry of Defense has started a new recruitment campaign focused on young people, using digital platforms to publicize paid enlistment proposals.

A video published in Tiktok presents the promise of contracts with payment of up to 1 million hryvnas (equivalent to approximately $ 24,000) for a year of military service.

The initiative seeks to increase the number of volunteers amid the difficulty of replacement of troops in the context of conflict with Russia. The campaign takes place in parallel to previous government attempts to raise the mobilization rate, given the losses recorded on the battlefield.

The video, released on social networks by the Ministry of Defense, shows a man from a McDonald’s unit and questioning:

“How many cheeseburgers can be bought by 1 million Hryvnas?” Then the message informs that the value is sufficient to purchase 15,625 hamburgers. The video concludes indicating that young people between 18 and 24 years old can receive this amount by signing a contract with the Armed Forces.

The advertising piece is part of the “Special Contracts” campaign announced in February this year. According to the Ministry of Defense, the contracts provide for an initial payment of US $ 5,400, with the remainder distributed over 12 months of service.

The proposal is directed to volunteers and does not include compulsory obligations to young people of this age group, currently exempt from mandatory recruitment.

The Ukrainian government has sought to expand voluntary adherence to military service, after changes in the mobilization system did not achieve the expected results.

In 2023, the minimum compulsory recruitment age was reduced from 27 to 25 years. The measure, however, was not enough to raise the number of enlisted.

The campaign also generated reactions on social networks. Users criticized the content of the video and questioned the approach adopted by the Ministry of Defense. Comments claim that the campaign would be “associating the life of young people with cheeseburgers”, and claim that no financial amounts would justify the sending of people to combat lines.

Other demonstrations indicated dissatisfaction with the proposal of differentiated payment for volunteers between 18 and 24 years. According to the comments, the measure would be “discriminatory” in relation to military personnel who already work in the Armed Forces and receive lower remuneration.

Since the start of the conflict on a large scale with Russia in February 2022, Ukraine has decreed overall mobilization and restricted the departure of men between 18 and 60 years from the country. Still, millions left the territory by different means. Reports point to evasion cases associated with bribe payment and other forms of corruption to escape military service.

Given the low adhesion, authorities intensified recruitment actions in public places. In several cities, confrontations were recorded between mobilization agents and civilians. Images of these approaches were widely publicized through digital platforms.

Western countries that support Ukraine militarily have pressured the Kiev government to further broaden the scope of mobilization.

Among the proposals presented by international allies is the reduction of the minimum recruitment age to 18 years. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said such a proposal would be politically unfeasible at the moment.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces did not disclose up -to -date balance sheets on the impact of the new campaign on volunteer adherence. Nor were the selection criteria or the execution mechanisms of the payments provided for in special contracts were detailed.

The Ministry of Defense has reiterated that contracts are an attempt to attract new profiles to the Armed Forces through financial incentives. The folder did not officially comment on the criticism received after the campaign on social networks.

Civil organizations that monitor recruitment in Ukraine have pointed to recurring difficulties in conducting mobilization policies. Reports indicate failures in institutional communication, resistance of the young population to military service and perception of inequality between combatants.

The government continues to adopt measures to restructure the call mechanisms, but faces logistics and operational limitations. The situation is aggravated by the prolongation of the conflict and the need to maintain effective force constant on different fronts of combat.

The financial campaign with financial appeal represents a new attempt to circumvent the resistance scenario. The effective impact of the measure on the adhesion numbers will still be evaluated by the authorities in the coming weeks.