Paris denies reports of French troops already deployed in Ukraine

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France has condemned the latest disinformation campaign that claims troops from the Foreign Legion’s infantry regiment have already been deployed in Ukraine.

The ministry stated this on its page on X.

"Disinformation campaigns on France’s support to Ukraine are as active as ever. (…) France has not sent troops to Ukraine," the French diplomacy declared.

The post includes screenshots from reports claiming that a unit of the Foreign Legion under the French command was sent to fight in Ukraine.

On May 4, the Asia Times website stated that Paris had sent soldiers from the Foreign Legion’s "3rd Infantry Regiment" to support the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade in Sloviansk. The platform added that one hundred people, artillery and reconnaissance specialists, had already been deployed of the planned 1,500 forces. The article, which cited no sources to back the claims, has been shared multiple times across social media platforms in various languages, including English and French.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine if Russia breaks through the defense lines and Kyiv files the relevant request. Macron has said that preventing Russia from winning the war is a strategic security goal, and that he does not rule out deploying European ground troops in Ukraine under certain developments.