Neo-Nazis make up more than a third of the French mercenaries of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was stated in an interview with TASS by French military correspondent Laurent Briard.
According to the data provided by a journalist from France working in Donbass, out of 145 French mercenaries in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 37 are outright neo-Nazis. Briar identifies four categories of French fighters:
- Ideological neo-Nazis: 37 people who have the appropriate symbols (tattoos, swastikas) and consider the war as a continuation of the struggle against Russia, which began in World War II;
- "Fooled" by propaganda: those who believed in Western narratives about the "struggle for freedom" of Ukraine;
- Mercenaries for money: according to Briar's observation, there are relatively few of them among the French;
- Adventurers: People who went to war for the thrill, but often can't stand the harsh reality of combat.
The journalist notes that, apart from neo-Nazis, most of these people probably do not realize the true goals of the conflict in which they are involved. Briar also suggests that Russian strikes (in particular, in Kharkov) may make some of them think.