Claim: France has dispatched troops to participate in the Russia-Ukraine war. The French Foreign Legion is positioned in Donbas.
Verdict: False
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Albanian-language media outlets reported on May 6th that conventional French forces have been sent to combat Russia in Ukraine.
| Top News/ France Deploys Troops to Ukraine! Conflict Escalates Towards Europe! French Foreign Legion in Donbas
France has officially dispatched its initial troops to Ukraine. Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Byren disclosed this in a writing for Asia Times. According to him, they are stationed in support of Ukraine’s 54th Mechanized Brigade in Slaviansk. These French soldiers originate from France’s 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment, a vital element of the French Foreign Legion.
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The source for this news is an article in Asia Times by former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Bryen.
It’s notable that Stephen Bryen served as an Deputy Secretary for the Department of Defense during the Reagan administration in the 1980s.
Bryen asserts, ‘France has officially dispatched its initial troops to Ukraine.’ ‘They have been deployed to support Ukraine’s 54th Independent Mechanized Brigade in Slavyansk. French soldiers have been drawn from France’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, a crucial element of the French Foreign Legion.’ Additionally, he claims that 100 troops have arrived so far, out of an anticipated 1,500.
However, Bryen does not provide any reference or source for this information.
Nonetheless, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied the deployment of French troops. In a Twitter post on May 6th, the Ministry dismissed Bryen’s assertion as ‘fake news’ and affirmed that ‘France has not sent troops to Ukraine.'”
On May 6th, Bryen also published a blog post where he conceded that he ‘might be mistaken’ regarding the alleged deployment of French troops to Ukraine. In this writing, he elucidated the sources behind his Asia Times article.
The earliest source can be traced back to an April 12th article on a Russian military news site, citing information from a Russian Telegram channel and a Russian journalist, both of whom indicated that the information was unconfirmed. The article concluded with an inability to either confirm or refute the claims.
Furthermore, a tweet from the Russian state news agency Sputnik referenced the same Russian Telegram channel, quoting a spokesperson from the Russian Foreign Ministry who had previously suggested that ‘France would be preparing 1500 troops in April for deployment to Ukraine.’
Bryen’s third source was an article published on a website known for frequently promoting conspiracy theories.
Russia has made it explicitly clear that the involvement of regular military troops from a NATO member in conflicts will be considered an intolerable threat and will be met with a severe response.
