French intelligence tracking citizens preparing to fight in Ukraine

By Yusuf Ozcan

PARIS (AA) - France’s General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) is reportedly tracking citizens who are preparing to travel to Ukraine to fight on its side against Russian troops.

The more than 50 French nationals include members of the extreme right and left, former soldiers, and soldiers called for duty for only a certain period, the French Europe 1 radio station reported Thursday.

The DGSI, along with the General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) and the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DRM) are tracking these people and the group they created on Facebook, according to the report.

It noted that the intelligence units could not prevent French citizens from going to Ukraine according to the law, but they could be prosecuted when they return to France if they committed illegal acts in Ukraine.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US and UK among others implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

According to UN figures, 227 civilians have been killed and 525 injured in Ukraine since the start of the war. Ukrainian authorities, however, have put the death toll at over 2,000.

More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the UN Refugee Agency said.

*Writing by Beyza Binnur Donmez