French mercenaries targeted by Russian army

"French mercenaries" fighting alongside Ukrainians have been attacked by the Russian army in the Odessa region.

At least, that’s according to Sergueï Lebedev, coordinator of the Nikolaev resistance, in comments to the press agency RIA Novosti.

According to an agency source, one unit "among several" is said to have been deployed in Odessa. This group included "French mercenaries", who themselves were distributed across various Ukrainian military units for a relatively short period. The mercenaries are reportedly trained in the Poltava region. Afterwards, they are issued their equipment and sent to the "combat contact line", according to media outlet L’Indépendant.

While aid to Ukraine has increased (equipment, training, etc.), many countries are still not reporting the deployment of soldiers on Ukrainian soil with a combat mission.

Beware of Russian disinformation

In 2024, the French military high command stated in an interview with Libération that there were "no French soldiers on Ukrainian soil", specifying that French troops were deployed in Romania, Estonia, and also involved in air defence missions in the Baltic states, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Poland.

Amid this wave of statements, it’s important to remain cautious. As Figaro pointed out on 3 June, the French army is regularly targeted by Russian disinformation campaigns, aiming to undermine its credibility.

(MH with Manon Pierre - Source: L’Indépendant - Illustration: ©Unsplash)