Debunking Claims of French Involvement in Ukraine-Russia War

2024-05-07 04:12:04

War between Ukraine and Russiadossier

In his newsletter, an American named Stephen Bryen assures, without a credible source, that the French army sent around a hundred soldiers to fight Russia. The French general staff denies this.

France has “deployed the Foreign Legion” on the Ukrainian front. This is what many French-speaking accounts on X (formerly Twitter) assure. Among them, the far-right activist David van Hemelryck, or the pro-Russians Brainless Partisans.

Macron deployed the foreign legion on the Slavyansk front.
Such a war operation in Ukraine, without the agreement of parliament, is in total breach with the constitution, which proves – once once more – that the psychopath has appropriated the powers of a dictator

— David van Hemelryck 🕊#D (@David_vanH) May 5, 2024

Stephen Bryen presents himself as an expert in the field of security and technology, highlighting his experience as deputy assistant secretary of the United States Department of Defense (under the Reagan administration, in the late 1980s ). He is part of several American think tanks, all very conservative, and contributes to various media such as Washington Times (pro-Trump daily founded by the Moon sect) or Epoch Times (Chinese-American newspaper which massively relays false information).

An article based on a tweet published by Sputnik

Contacted by CheckNewsStephen Bryen explains that he gets his information “Telegram channels” and the social network X (formerly Twitter). And doesn’t seem particularly concerned regarding the issue of verifying the info: “The question is whether the reports on Telegram, Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere are credible. In general, you have to be careful, but this information seemed solid enough to me to accept it. I understand that some will not accept the veracity of a story unless it comes from a major news source. Unfortunately, when it comes to Ukraine, most of the detailed information comes from bloggers because there is little, if any, Western press on the battlefield, and it is tightly controlled.”

Stephen Bryen indicates above all that he based himself on a tweet published by… Sputnik, the media mouthpiece of the Kremlin (and well known for spreading false information).

At the end of April, the same American author already argued that NATO has “started deploying combat troops to Ukraine”. He mentioned “Polish, French, British or Finnish soldiers” who arrived “in large numbers”, and wearing “uniforms with the flag of their country” on the front. Here once more, without providing proof of his allegations. And believing that a Russian victory would make it possible to avoid a “wider war in Europe”.

Stephen Bryen, who compiles in his text the approximations on the Foreign Legion (described as reserved for foreigners while it includes French soldiers for example), seems above all to be unaware that the 3rd infantry regiment of the legion is in fact engaged “permanently” in French Guiana. Several thousand kilometers from eastern Ukraine. And that it has little to do with artillery since its strong points are “fighting in the equatorial forest” and surveillance missions.

“We should legitimately ask ourselves the question”

Contacted, the army general staff, for its part, assures CheckNews “there are no French soldiers on Ukrainian soil”. And details the French positions “on the eastern flank of Europe” : “French soldiers are engaged in Estonia (Lynx mission) and Romania (Aigle mission). The French armies also contribute to air defense missions, operations in the air called AirShielding, on the eastern flank of the Atlantic Alliance, in the Baltic countries, in Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia.

Note that Emmanuel Macron for his part estimated this Tuesday, May 2 that we “should legitimately ask the question” to deploy soldiers on Ukrainian soil if the military situation continues to worsen on the Ukrainian side.

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