Are realistic-looking face masks of old men being sold in Ukraine so men can avoid receiving a summons? No, that's not true: The mask producer denied such a claim and stated they refuse to sell masks for such purposes.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok by alexandr_turner on January 5, 2024. The caption on the video (translated from Russian to English by Lead Stories staff) read:
In Ukraine 'old man' masks started to appear, which will serve as a protective charm from serving a summons. The sellers ensure the mask will help save the buyers
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Wed Jan 10 08:14:21 2024 UTC)
Searching for "buy old man silicone mask" (Russian: купить силиконовую маску старик) on Google (archived here) returned the result of an online store, Maski.prom.ua (archived here), offering various handmade full-face masks, including the type mentioned in the claim. However, the website does not provide any information or assurance related to summons serving.
(Source: Maski.prom.ua screenshot taken on Wed Jan 10 09:05:50 2024 UTC)
The seller's Instagram account suggests that the masks are intended for pranks, collections or gifts. That Instagram account shared a video (archived here) that was subsequently removed, refuting any claims that the masks could be utilized to evade mobilization. The text in the video (as translated) stated:
Attention! We sell only to those who need it for jokes, recording pranks, for corporate events, birthdays, to collectors and only for good purposes! Many comment that it can be used for military recruitment centers, no, you can't, we initially wrote it is for jokes! We don't sell for masking from military recruitment centers in an old man [mask], in such cases when we receive calls, we refuse to sell.
