The Ministry of Defense of North Macedonia Is Not Hiring Soldiers to Send to Ukraine
Photo: Screenshot of a part of the post
Bearing in mind that NATO is not at war with Russia and is not sending soldiers to the front in Ukraine, as well as that the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia participates only in NATO and EU missions, one cannot claim that the MoD is hiring soldiers to fulfill Zelenskyy’s wishes i.e., to send them fighting in Ukraine, as the post claims. That is manipulation and a lie promoted – fully aware – by the supporters of Russian aggression
We are fact-checking a post on the social network Facebook (screenshot here) manipulating an announcement published by the Ministry of Defense of North Macedonia regarding the employment of 150 professional soldiers and claiming that they will be sent to Ukraine.
Soldiers wanted to fulfill the wishes of Zelenskyy, states the post accompanied by a photograph of the headline of an announcement of the Ministry of Defense.
On 15 September, the Ministry of Defense published an announcement on hiring 150 professional soldiers for the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia. The post subject to our fact-checking is a manipulation, claiming that these soldiers are wanted for fulfilling the wishes of Zelenskyy, i.e., to send them to the front in Ukraine.
Up to date, on several occasions, different Facebook profiles, supporters of the Russian aggression, have tried to handle and spread fake news about NATO being at war with Russia and that NATO member states will be sending soldiers to Ukraine. In that context, North Macedonia was also mentioned and Truthmeter has already debunked that type of news.
The participation of citizens from North Macedonia in foreign armies is a criminal offense. The Army of the Republic of North Macedonia takes part solely in NATO and EU missions and drills. The claim that the Ministry of Defence or the Minister herself is developing conscription lists is not true. According to security estimates, the situation in the country is secure and stable. The Ministry of Defence and Minister Petrovska appeal for desisting from spreading fake news and disinformation, answered the MоD in November 2022.
Under no circumstances is NATO at war with Russia because there are no troops from NATO member states in the war in Ukraine. What NATO is doing, is sending military aid to Ukraine so that it can defend itself from Russian expansionism policy. NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg has stressed that many times.
The task of NATO is not to allow escalation of the war in Ukraine and to prevent the Alliance getting involved in the war, stressed Stoltenberg on one occasion.
Russia attacked Ukraine and Ukraine is entitled to defend itself. NATO condemns Russia’s brutal and unprovoked military aggression in Ukraine, which is an independent and democratic country and a close NATO partner. NATO and allies continue to support Ukraine in its inherent right to self-defense.
NATO helps coordinate Ukraine’s requests for aid and supports allies in sending humanitarian aid. Article 5, as a security guarantee, enables collective defence and provides for the Alliance to send weapons to Ukraine without jeopardizing its security. Furthermore, the well-established structure for common standards of the Alliance and the interoperable systems enables the Alliance to dispatch equipment with the certainty that the shipments to Ukraine can be filled with compatible equipment from other Allies. NATO member states are individually sending weapons, ammunition and many types of light and heavy military equipment, including anti-tank and air-defence systems, drones and tanks, specifies NATO’s website.
Bearing in mind that NATO is not at war with Russia and not sending soldiers on the front in Ukraine, as well as that the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia participates only in NATO and EU missions, one cannot claim that the MoD is hiring soldiers to fulfill Zelenskyy’s wishes i.e., to send them fighting in Ukraine, as the post claims. That is a manipulation and a lie promoted – fully aware – by the supporters of Russian aggression. Hence, we assess the post as not true.
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