FAKE: The French battalions are heading towards Romania, preparing for deployment to Ukraine

Information is being spread online claiming that French battalions are supposedly heading to Romania, preparing to confront the Russian army in Ukraine. It is stated that the troops will be stationed in Odesa.

However, this is a fake. This information has not been confirmed. French troops cannot enter Ukrainian territory without the permission of the Ukrainian government.

Similar news indeed appeared on the Twitter (X) page of the news portal “FranceNews24”. However, the media outlet later deleted the post and apologized for publishing unverified information, which turned out to be false.

Moreover, “FranceNews24” is not a reliable source of information. There are no contact details or information about the owners or team of the publication on the “FranceNews24” website. It is impossible to access the media outlet’s pages on other social media platforms besides Twitter. The feed contains exclusively news about the war in Ukraine, migrants from Middle Eastern and African countries, and protests against the current French President Emmanuel Macron. The publications promote pro-Russian narratives. The background of the “FranceNews24” page on Twitter is constantly changing. At the time of writing the material, there was a photo of Macron in front of the burning Kremlin generated by AI.

Rumors about the dispatch of French troops to Odesa spread rapidly across the network against the backdrop of Macron’s recent loud statements that France no longer sees the point in negotiating with the Russians and does not rule out that European states will send troops to Ukraine: “At the moment, there is no consensus on sending troops. But in this matter, nothing should be ruled out in the future. We will do everything possible to ensure that Russia cannot win this war.” French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, following Macron’s statement, confirmed that he also does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine and added that Paris “will not be able to accept” a Russian victory.

Later, in the L’Independant publication, information appeared that during a meeting with the heads of French political parties, Macron clarified the scenario that could initiate intervention: a breakthrough in the front towards Kyiv or Odesa. However, even in such a case, without the approval of the Verkhovna Rada, French troops cannot enter Ukrainian territory — the decision on admission and the presence of units of foreign armed forces on the territory of Ukraine belongs to the exclusive powers of the Verkhovna Rada according to paragraph 23 of Article 85 of the Constitution.

In light of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine in 2022, France increased its contribution to the defense of NATO’s eastern flank and deployed a contingent of 500 servicemembers in Romania. In 2024, France plans to increase this contingent several times over. Specifically, it is envisaged to increase the number of French forces to 4,000 soldiers and 50 tanks, for which an additional 37 Leclerc tanks are planned to be transferred to Romania.