Several dozen Ukrainian soldiers deserted during training in France - AFP
Photo: The soldiers were not arrested, as desertion is not criminalized in France (Getty Images)
Several dozen Ukrainian soldiers deserted during training in France. However, this phenomenon did not become widespread, according to France24 and AFP.
According to a representative of the French military, who is the source of AFP, there were a "certain number of desertions" among Ukrainian soldiers. However, the number remains small "given the volume of people who have undergone training."
"They were in French barracks. They had the right to go out," the source said.
The military official also explained that the Ukrainian soldiers undergoing training in France were subject to the disciplinary regime "imposed by the Ukrainian command." He also added that French authorities are unable to detain deserters.
"We don't criminalize desertion in France. If someone deserted, a French prosecutor had no authority to arrest that individual. And the right granted to the Ukrainian authorities on French soil is just a disciplinary right," the official stated.
France24 and several other media outlets clarified that the French military trained 2,300 soldiers from the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade, known as Anne of Kyiv, which is currently fighting in the Pokrovsk direction. Most of the soldiers were conscripts without combat experience. They were accompanied by 300 Ukrainian supervisors. The remaining 2,200 soldiers of the brigade underwent training in Ukraine.
Ukrainian military analyst Yuriy Butusov wrote in December that 1,700 soldiers left the brigade without engaging in combat, and 50 deserted during training in France.
In response to questions about Butusov’s report, Commander of the Ground Forces Mykhailo Drapaty said he would not deny the information.
