The military explained why they had no right to detain these individuals.
The General Staff of the French Armed Forces officially confirmed on Monday that desertion cases were recorded during the training of recruits of the Ukrainian 155th Brigade “Anna Kyiv”.
According to France Info, “several dozen” escaped from the training camp in France, but compared to the total number of fighters whom French instructors helped master military affairs, these incidents are called “minor”.
The military also explained why the deserters were not detained – according to French law, their actions are not considered a criminal offense, and prosecutors did not have the authority to issue arrest warrants. The Ukrainian representatives accompanying the recruits had only disciplinary rights.
In total, according to the French General Staff, 2,000 fighters were trained in the country, 90% of whom were conscripts with no previous military experience.