The Minister of the Armed Forces visited this Thursday the camps in which the soldiers of the 115th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian army are trained.
Called “Anne of kyiv”, she is notably accused by pro-Russian accounts of welcoming soldiers from the Azov battalion or neo-Nazis.
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2,300 soldiers in fatigues, training for combat in the heart of the Marne. Nothing surprising, except that these soldiers are Ukrainian. This Thursday, November 14, the Minister of the Armed Forces and that of Foreign Affairs visited the training camps in which the soldiers of the 115th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian army are trained.
But on social networks, when trying to find out more about this unit, the first results appear surprising. Some accuse Paris of training soldiers from the Azov battalion, while others assure, with supporting photos, that neo-Nazis are on the Mourmelon military camp.
A manipulated photo
Starting with a pure and simple manipulation of a video published by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. On Telegram (new window)a channel identified as a relay for Russian propaganda since the start of the conflict, indicated on October 23 that France “now takes great pleasure in welcoming” of the “neo-Nazis”. As proof, he shares a short sequence in which the insignia of the Azov battalion appears furtively on the uniform of a Ukrainian soldier.
As a reminder, this former militia has an emblem directly inspired by Nazism and has actually welcomed men who claim to have a fascist ideology. (new window). Last May, a Mediapart investigation (new window) had revealed that among the soldiers trained by France in the fall of 2023, some belonged to the heir unit of this regiment, one of whom had the SS emblem tattooed on his temple.
So, did France reiterate? We found the video in question directly on the YouTube account of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. Online on October 10 (new window)it shows exactly the same images… but the insignia has disappeared from the soldier’s arm. Speaking to TF1info, the French general staff also specifies that it is the Ukrainian armed forces which are organizing “the flow and selection of Ukrainian soldiers sent to France” depending on the “needs and expectations” of the country.
A second photo would show soldiers directly making references to Nazism. An image under which an Internet user (new window) wrote this November 4 that the 155th Ukrainian mechanized brigade has “displayed the eagle of the Third Reich upon his arrival”. In the photo, men in French fatigues carry a red and black flag echoing Nazi symbolism. A narrative taken up by several figures in the pro-Russian sphere in France, including former senator Yves Pozzo Di Borgo, regularly at the origin of false information (new window). Asked about its origin, the Internet user behind the photo did not get back to us immediately.
At this stage, it is impossible to say that this was indeed taken in France. We find no trace of it on the networks that we have identified as being linked to this unit. The first occurrence rather refers to Telegram (new window)where it was posted by a pro-Russian account on November 4. However, in the caption full of insults that accompanies it, the Internet user never assures that this photo was taken on French soil. According to a Russian-speaking translation, the author simply makes assumptions, ironically about the “communication” of the different European armies and the so-called “Nazism” (new window) Ukrainian soldiers. But it gives no indication of the location of the photo or the unit posing.
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At present, the evidence that attempts to prove the Nazism of the “Anne of kyiv” brigade is therefore misleading. Their goal? Serving the indictment of an army in the hands of the Nazis. The same one that justified the invasion of Ukraine more than two and a half years ago. Here, training by France is the ideal opportunity for disinformation actors to extend this narrative to a country allied with kyiv.
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