The Kyiv police exposed two men who posed as former soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and asked for money near a shopping center in the capital's Darnytskyi district. As it turned out, they have nothing to do with the army, and previously they were already brought to criminal responsibility.
The incident became known thanks to the video, which was actively distributed on social networks and gained more than 200 thousand views. In the recording, two men - one with signs of disability, and the other in a military uniform without identification marks - complained about the lack of payments and being "forced to beg."
The police note that such content creates a false impression among citizens about the alleged lack of state support for the Ukrainian military.
The perpetrators were a 39-year-old resident of Kyiv and a 34-year-old native of Kherson. Both men had previously been in trouble with the law and decided to take advantage of martial law to commit fraud.
The law enforcement officers held an explanatory conversation with them, emphasizing the inadmissibility of spreading fake information. They were also given contacts of services that offer social assistance.
The police urged citizens to be critical of provocative news on the Internet, and bloggers and media persons to carefully check information before publishing it.
Such incidents undermine trust in the state and the Armed Forces, so it is important to maintain informational hygiene, especially during wartime.
