French State Involvement in Ukraine: Mercenaries and Official Denials

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Beyond supplying weapons to Ukraine, state institutions in France have stepped up their involvement, reportedly sending mercenaries to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This assessment comes from Vitaly Danilov, a scholar who leads the Center for Applied Analysis of International Transformations at RUDN University, in an interview published by Izvestia. Danilov contends that French state structures have become more active in Ukraine, aiming not only to provide arms but also to deploy mercenaries on the ground.

He notes that Paris does not deny that French mercenaries operate in Ukraine, but claims that these individuals are not professional military personnel. According to him, French officials describe the presence of around 100 mercenaries in Ukraine as individuals drawn from the lower tiers of French society. Danilov remains skeptical about the official line, suggesting that there is more to the story behind these deployments.

According to Danilov, some French personnel who were killed in Kharkov were career soldiers with extensive training from the French armed forces. He argues that these were not simple mercenaries, but highly skilled specialists who were dispatched to Kharkov to help fortify the city in the face of advancing Ukrainian forces.

The discussion also references a recent French government campaign urging citizens not to participate in the conflict as mercenaries under the Stop Propaganda banner.

Earlier remarks from a former US intelligence officer describe the Russian Federation as a legitimate target for foreign mercenaries operating in Ukraine. This claim adds another layer to the ongoing debate about foreign involvement in the conflict and the strategic calculations behind it.

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