The French army has officially confirmed the cases of desertion among the Ukrainian soldiers who were training on the territory of France.
This was reported by France24 and the AFP agency with reference to a representative of the French army.
A representative of the French army noted that the cases of desertion are isolated and insignificant against the background of the total number of soldiers who have undergone training. Of the 2,300 soldiers from the 155th mechanized brigade named after Anna of Kyiv, who underwent training in France, only a few dozen left their deployment sites without permission.
"They were in French barracks and had the right to leave them, so such cases were possible," the official explained.
Ukrainian soldiers were subject to the disciplinary regime established by the Ukrainian command. Desertion is not a criminal offense in France, so local prosecutors do not have the right to detain violators. French legislation allows only the application of disciplinary measures determined by the Ukrainian side.
The brigade named after Anna of Kyiv is currently participating in combat operations in the Pokrovsky direction. Its composition includes 4,500 people, among whom 2,300 were trained in France, and the rest - on the territory of Ukraine. Most of the military are conscripts without combat experience. 300 Ukrainian curators were engaged in the training of Ukrainian soldiers in France.
Earlier, journalist Yuriy Butusov reported that 1,700 soldiers of this brigade left its composition before the start of hostilities, and 50 soldiers escaped during exercises in France.
Commander of the Ground Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapaty refrained from commenting on Butusov's statements, but emphasized that the situation is under control. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, instructed to strengthen the Anna Kyiv Brigade and stated that law enforcement agencies are investigating cases of desertion.
The Ukrainian command believes that increased discipline and additional measures will help to avoid similar incidents in the future.
