This is false. The video circulating online merely imitates Le Point’s visual branding and is being used to push a longstanding Russian narrative about an alleged mass deployment of French nationals in the war against Russia.
Russian propaganda outlets are circulating a video bearing the logo of French outlet Le Point that claims France’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed the presence of at least 22,000 French “mercenaries” in Ukraine. The same video cites the BBC for a claim that the real figure may be as high as 70,000.
Russian channels assert that France is secretly participating in the war against Russia while formally passing off its soldiers as “volunteers.” Some publications take the claim further, arguing that the West criticized reports of North Korean troops fighting in the war even as it was sending tens of thousands of French fighters to Ukraine.
In reality, this is a fake. Neither Le Point nor the BBC has published any such information. The video circulating online mimics Le Point’s visual style but has no connection to the French outlet.
StopFake found no trace of this publication on Le Point’s website or its official social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and X. The BBC’s website likewise contains no publication claiming that 70,000 French mercenaries are present in Ukraine. The figures are not corroborated by any official French source or reputable international media outlet.
Moreover, France’s Foreign Ministry has previously rejected Russian claims about “French mercenaries” in Ukraine. In January 2024, after Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed French soldiers had been killed in Kharkiv, Paris dismissed the accusations as a manipulation and part of a broader Russian disinformation campaign.
StopFake also examined the video itself, which is set to background music and contains no narration or commentary from a journalist or spokesperson. It consists of short clips and graphic elements designed to mimic Le Point’s style: the outlet’s logo appears in the upper right corner of the frame, and a closing animation displays the text “Le Point” along with the credit “Vidéo: Boris Hansel, Pierre Le Mouellic.”
The names, however, do not authenticate the video. Boris Hansel does contribute to Le Point, but as a physician specializing in nutrition and endocrinology known for medical and science-focused video content. His work for the outlet covers health, nutrition, and medicine — not the war in Ukraine or French foreign policy. StopFake found no evidence linking Hansel to the circulating video about “French mercenaries.”
Another telltale sign of fabrication is the visual content itself. Rather than using original photo and video material, as Le Point typically does, the video relies on stock footage and generic imagery that does not support the claims being made. It contains no references to documents, official statements from the French Foreign Ministry, or BBC reporting — despite these supposedly being the basis for its central claim.
According to monitoring by Osavul, the video first surfaced on June 12 on the Telegram channel “Gagauz Republic” before being picked up by other pro-Russian and propaganda outlets. The pattern of distribution is itself telling: the video never appeared on Le Point’s or the BBC’s official channels, circulating instead exclusively within pro-Kremlin Telegram networks.
The “French mercenaries” narrative is one Russian propaganda promotes regularly. Moscow has previously claimed a mass presence of French fighters in Ukraine and their subsequent “elimination” by Russian forces. These claims have never been substantiated and have already been refuted by French officials, journalists, and fact-checkers. Further details are available on StopFake’s website.
