Sorry if I unnecessarily jumped down your throat comrade. It just sounded like you were, “wah, the Russians are saying they are French soldiers, the French are saying they are freelance citizens”. Maybe I’m just jaded, but I don’t believe western governments anymore. BUT, I will admit that I also didn’t trust the state department when they were saying Russia was going to invade Ukraine any day either, so what do I know. My assessment was that Putin was smart and that it wouldn’t be easy and that they would incur heavy losses, so they wouldn’t do it. It turns out I was wrong and after those heavy loses, Russia is gaining the upper ground. I guess living in the west, and knowing how much of our tax dollars is fueling the MIC, that I thought our weapons were a little more capable than they are turning out to be. My main point is that we are all subject to propaganda, myself included. And we are heavily propagandized in the west, so pervasively that we don’t even realize it. Either way, listen to both sides, make an assessment of those sides based on evidence and materiel conditions. If I had to wager a $1000 on it right now, my money is on everyone on that list is a French special force being funded directly by whatever is the French equivalent of the CIA is.