ST. PETERSBURG, June 5. /TASS/ A majority of French military servicemen do not support the idea of sending their country’s soldiers to Ukraine, a French military correspondent working in Donbass, editor-in-chief of the International Reporters agency, Christelle Nahan, has told TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"As for French mercenaries and soldiers, many in France do not support this idea. Very many people are tired of the war. They are tired of seeing France wasting mammoth funds to no avail. People realize that if French soldiers are sent there, many will be brought back in coffins. People don't want that. Most French soldiers don't support such a move. I don't see any way of how the authorities may do that without causing soldiers and ordinary people to rise in revolt," she said.

In an interview with TASS on May 8 Nahan said she was almost certain that some French military servicemen were already fighting on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to her, there were either career military personnel or former members of the French army. She sees an indirect confirmation of this in the fact that after the strike on the mercenaries in Kharkov the French ambassador was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron told the British magazine The Economist in an interview that considering the idea of sending troops to Ukraine was a possibility, provided such a move was requested by Kiev, "if Russian forces break through the frontline." Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media these speculations heralded an unprecedented upsurge of tensions.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) will be held on June 5-8. This year’s theme will be "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event.