Ukrainian soldiers desert during France training, probe ongoing
Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers deserted during training in France, a representative of the French army reported on Monday in an interview with AFP.
"There have been a certain number of desertions, but they are still very marginal, considering the number of people who underwent the training," added the representative of the French army.
The soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were staying in barracks in France and "had the right to leave" the premises. A French officer explained that Ukrainian military personnel in French territory were subject to the discipline imposed by their command, but according to French law, desertion is not a criminal offense liable to prosecution.
"If someone deserted, the French prosecutor had no legal grounds to detain such a person. The authority granted to Ukrainian authorities in France was of a disciplinary nature only," said the military official.
Currently, 2,300 soldiers from Ukraine's 155th Mechanized Brigade named after Anna of Kyiv are being trained in France. This brigade participates in battles in the Pokrovsk region in Donetsk Oblast. As noted by AFP, most of these soldiers are conscripts without combat experience. The group is supported by 300 Ukrainian coordinators, while the remaining 2,200 individuals from the same brigade trained in Ukraine.
Problems in this unit were confirmed by the Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Mykhailo Drapaty. In response to the information from Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov that 1,700 soldiers left the brigade without participating in combat activities, and 50 of them deserted during training in France, Drapaty stated: "I will not deny it."
Source: AFP / The Moscow Times
