The first group of French combat forces is deployed in Ukraine

France officially sent its first group of troops to Ukraine. They are deployed to Slavyansk in support of the 54th Independent Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine.

According to the  EPA website, citing the "Aegea Times", reported that the French soldiers were taken from the 3rd French Infantry Regiment, which is one of the main elements of the French Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère).

The number of troops of the first group of French soldiers is about 100 people. This is only the first phase of about 1,500 soldiers of the French Foreign Legion, who will arrive in Ukraine.

These forces are directly deployed in an active war zone and are intended to assist Ukrainians in the field of resistance against Russian advances in Donbas. The first 100 are artillery and maintenance specialists.

Earlier, in an interview, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke once again about the possibility of sending Western troops, especially French troops, to Ukraine and set two conditions for this.

In an interview with "The Economist", he stated: "If Moscow crosses the front line and Kiev asks us, we can raise this issue (sending troops to Ukraine)."

Ukrainian officials and analysts say the Russian military is taking full advantage of the weakness of Ukraine's armaments and is "rushing" to take control of strategically important areas of Ukrainian territory before more weapons from the West reach Kiev, which could pave the way for them to take control of the wider Donbass region.