Ukrainian soldiers flaunting Nazi symbols went through intensive training under supervision of French instructors at a military camp in southern Creuse in 2023, Mediapart revealed.
Leaked images show Ukrainian soldiers wielding French weapons at the La Courtine camp last fall while conspicuously sporting a wide variety of Nazi insignia. One of the men had an SS symbol* tattooed on his face, the dossier obtained by the French investigative media outlet showed.
Screenshot of X post by French investigative journalist Sébastien Bourdon.
© Photo : seb_bourdon
"Equipped like French soldiers, these men were affiliated with the 3rd Assault Brigade, a unit of the Ukrainian Army, heir to the neo-Nazi Azov** regiment,” the report stated.
Alongside the Ukrainian soldiers was a French national known on social networks under the nickname “Cafard Misanthrope,” who participated in the training before returning to fight for the Kiev regime, according to lead journalist of the investigation Sebastien Bourdon.
Screenshot of X post by French investigative journalist Sébastien Bourdon.
© Photo : seb_bourdon
The images speak volumes about the French military's collaboration with individuals embracing neo-Nazi beliefs, the publication wrote. It questioned the opaque supervision practices and flawed screening of those involved in such programs.
Paris needs to answer crucial questions as to what measures will be taken to prevent the infiltration of extremist movements in the French military, the outlet said. Above all, it pondered the “implications of this controversial collaboration on national and international security.”
Screenshot of X post by French investigative journalist Sébastien Bourdon.
The revelations came amid a succession of reports shedding light on Ukrainian soldiers training in countries, patrons of the Kiev regime, while openly displaying a cornucopia of fascist and neo-Nazi symbols. However, NATO sponsors of the proxy conflict have gladly looked the other way while frantically delivering fresh tranches of arms assistance to Ukraine.
Moreover, French President Emmanuel Macron has gone even further, reiterating on several occasions that the option of sending troops to Ukraine should remain on the table. He first made the provocative statement following a Paris-hosted conference on Ukraine held on February 26. At the time, Macron said Western leaders had discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, but had not reached a consensus, prompting a flurry of denials from EU leaders.
Despite domestic and international backlash, the French leader has since doubled down on his remarks in an interview with The Economist on May 2. "We have undoubtedly been too hesitant by defining the limits of our action," he said, adding that, "As I said, I’m not ruling anything out."
Russia has been pointing out for years that many cases of human rights abuse and war crimes committed by the Ukrainian authorities that came to power after the 2014 coup were committed by neo-Nazis against Russians and Russian-speaking people. One of the goals of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine launched in 2022 was to "demilitarize and de-Nazify" the country.
The Russian president recently emphasized the significance of de-Nazification, including a ban on neo-Nazi movements in Ukraine, in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson, saying that this aim has not yet been achieved.
* Public display of Nazi symbols and logos of extremist organizations is banned in Russia.
** The Azov battalion is recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia.