The Kremlin stated on Tuesday 4 June that no instructor responsible for training the Ukrainian military ‘has immunity’. Spokesman Dmitri Peskov told the press that Russian forces could target French instructors, whose dispatch is currently under discussion between Paris and Kiev, adding that this applied to all instructors, whether French or not

Last week, Oleksandre Syrsky, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, announced that France would soon be sending instructors to train Ukrainian troops. However, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence and the French Ministry of the Armed Forces have clarified that the sending of these instructors is still under discussion with France and other countries.

Officially, France has no military personnel in Ukraine to assist or train the Ukrainian forces. President Emmanuel Macron has on several occasions mentioned the possibility of sending Western troops to help Kiev, a proposal that has sparked debate among France’s allies and angered Russia.

France’s proposal for a European coalition of military instructors to train Ukrainian troops is still under discussion among European countries and is not close to being finalised. Many countries are concerned about Moscow’s potential reaction to this initiative.