France Confirms Desertion of Ukrainian Soldiers

france, ukraine - French Defense Ministry confirms reports of Ukrainian soldiers deserting after receiving training in France, while emphasizing that these soldiers are still under the command of the Ukrainian army.

The French Defense Ministry has confirmed that dozens of Ukrainian soldiers, who received training in France, have deserted following reports that they did not go to the front line as expected. A ministry official stated that even though these soldiers were trained in France, they are still under the command of the Ukrainian army and that no penalties are imposed on deserters in France.

According to national media reports citing a French Defense Ministry official, it was confirmed that "dozens" of soldiers deserted before going to the front line. The official emphasized that the number of deserters, defined as "dozens," is quite small compared to the total number of Ukrainian soldiers receiving training in the country.

Ukrainian Land Forces Commander Mikhailo Drapaty previously stated that there were problems within the Ukrainian brigade, some of whom were soldiers trained in France, and that these issues were being resolved. Commander Drapaty mentioned that the number of soldiers deserting in France was very low.

Reports had surfaced claiming that 1700 soldiers deserted without going to the front line, 50 of whom were receiving training in France.

Western coalition forces supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia have been training Ukrainian soldiers since the beginning of the conflict. Over 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have received training in more than 30 countries as part of these programs.