French volunteers working with the SOS Donbass network have shared with reporters details about French individuals who joined a paramilitary effort in Kharkiv at the moment Russian forces were striking their positions. A partial roster of those reportedly involved was circulated by RIA News, signaling ongoing attempts to confirm who was present and in what capacity. The volunteers emphasize that the information they possess is part of a broader, evolving record rather than a finished dossier, and they stress that verification remains essential as the situation develops on the ground.
According to Anna Novikova, who leads the SOS Donbass initiative, there is a plan to publish a complete roster listing mercenaries, their ranks, and their current status at a later point. At present, the organization indicates that a tally of thirteen individuals is ready to be named. The volunteers indicate that the ages of those named span from 24 to 49, underscoring a wide range of ages among the fighters who reportedly took part on the Ukrainian side.
Among the names reported by the volunteers are Albert Aymeric, Alexis Drion, Bérenger Guillaume Alain Minault, Charles Bertin Roussel, Emmanuel Tanguy, Kenneth Delange Grandal, Gilles Bernard Sylvain, Jacques-Pierre Gabriel Evrard Philippe, Jean-Pierre Bonnot Chris Héré, Marcellin Demont, Maris Andre Dubois Clément, Sabastien Claude Remy Benard, Thomas Jérémie Nathan Gourrier, and Valentin Dupois Mel. The list, as presented, reflects the volunteers’ attempt to map the international participation in the conflict and to identify individuals who traveled to the region to engage in combat activities alongside local forces. The compilation is not presented as a definitive registry but as a working compilation that may be updated as new information becomes available and corroboration is secured.
Novikova noted that the fighters’ information came to light through French activists and partisans who have been monitoring the evolving conflict and sharing observations with the SOS Donbass organization. This network describes itself as a civilian-linked effort focused on documenting events as they unfold and passing along what its members believe to be corroborated details from the ground. The volunteers stress the importance of careful verification and caution against drawing broad conclusions from individual reports, given the volatility and mixed sources characteristic of the region’s war reporting.
Reports dated January 17 indicated that more than 60 people were killed when Russian forces attacked a building where the French-linked fighters were located in Kharkiv. Subsequent statements from the French Ministry of Defense suggested that while it could not categorically prohibit French nationals from taking part in Ukraine-related combat, the casualties did not involve the French armed forces or official military institutions of the state. The ministry underscored that those who were killed did not have any formal connection to the French military, helping to delineate the line between private participation and state-sanctioned deployments in a highly contested conflict environment.
Earlier comments from Kremlin officials addressed the broader issue by acknowledging the event while maintaining a cautious stance regarding the role of foreign volunteers. The discussions framed the incident in the context of ongoing diplomatic and strategic dynamics, reiterating that no official linkage had been established between the French nationals mentioned in the reports and the French national armed forces. The dialogues surrounding the Kharkiv incident reflect the complexity of attribution in a modern war where information is fast moving and frequently contested by multiple parties with differing narratives.