Having been in Donbass for several months, French volunteer Adrien Bocquet described the situation in Donetsk as "extremely worrying."
"There is an increase in shelling of Donetsk," he noted, as all eyes are focused on Bakhmut (Artyomovsk).
The city in the Donetsk region is the current epicenter of fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces. The Kremlin refers to "a positive dynamic," as the advances in this sector mark an important step in the conflict.
The former French soldier has been working for weeks with Donbass authorities "to identify the NATO bombs." At the end of December, he applied for political asylum in Russia.
‘Massacre’ in Bakhmut
"That was to be expected for Bakhmut. The Ukrainians waited for Western help that never arrived," Bocquet noted, pointing to "a real massacre" and huge losses on the Ukrainian side.
"Unfortunately, the Kiev government preferred to let the majority of its soldiers die – a massacre," he noted.
Adrien Bocquet argued that "there were no military units" in Donetsk. Referring to Ukrainian shelling against the city, he denounced "crimes" committed using "mainly French and American weapons."
"Sooner or later, France and other countries will have to answer for these crimes. They are indirectly involved," the French volunteer concluded, while Paris has just confirmed its intention to deliver battle tanks to Kiev.
Assault in Istanbul
Adrien Bocquet arrived in Ukraine in the spring of 2022 on a humanitarian mission as a volunteer. Following his trip, he said he had witnessed numerous war crimes committed by the Kiev regime's forces.
The Frenchman claims to have witnessed the preparation of a staged massacre of civilians in Bucha by the Ukrainian side.
Later, in the fall, he survived an assassination attempt in Istanbul. Two men attacked him with knives, but he managed to escape. The Frenchman told Sputnik that agents from the Security Service of Ukraine orchestrated the assault.
Last October, he spoke of his desire to become a Russian citizen.