Claim:

Stephen Bryen, a deputy undersecretary for the Department of Defense during the Reagan administration, claimed in a blog post that France has sent its first troops officially to Ukraine.

Reasoning:

The French Foreign Ministry explicitly denied a deployment of French troops to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war, calling the claim “disinformation.” The claim spreading online cited a post published on Bryen’s blog titled, “France Sends Troops to Ukraine.” The post does not attribute its reporting to any sources.

Bryen acknowledged in another blog post that he “could be wrong” about France’s alleged deployment to Ukraine. He also provided sources for his post, which include a Russian military news website, a state-owned Russian news agency, and a website that regularly promotes conspiracy theories.

In response to a request for comment from The Associated Press, Bryen pointed to the second blog post and wrote “as for denials, the French always deny having anyone at all in Ukraine.”

Fact or Fiction?

Fiction. The comprehensive analysis of the claims and the responses from the French Foreign Ministry does not support the claim that France has sent troops to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war.