In the first months of the war, around 400 French fought alongside the Ukrainians. At least eight died in the fighting and only a handful are still fighting there.
Stryka (nom de guerre) is 38 years old, he has 11 years of military experience in the French army with deployments to Afghanistan, Lebanon and the Central African Republic. But today he is fighting on the Robotyne front in southern Ukraine, one of the most active in the country. “It’s 100 times more intense than what I experienced,” he says. “It’s like World War I, but with today’s technology.”
For four months, Stryka has been fighting on the Ukrainian front lines under a barrage of fire from Russian lines. “I have the impression that they shoot endlessly. They can bomb us 24 hours a day, while there is very little ammunition on the Ukrainian side,” he says.
“When it hits, it is precise, but unfortunately not effective enough”
Stryka, French fighter in Ukraine
at franceinfo
To counter this powerful artillery, he and two of his comrades conducted commando missions behind Russian lines, sometimes hiding for ten days, dodging drones and attacking at just the right moment. “Here the drones shoot on sight, so it’s very easy to die,” says Stryka.
He risks his life for the Ukrainians
When the question arose about fighting in Ukraine, Stryka did not hesitate: “It was terrible to stay behind a television as a soldier, and one of my first missions was to provide aid to a certain population.”
He can also count on the support of his parents and his wife, who, despite his worries, understand his need for adrenaline. “The fact that you risk impending death injects you with adrenaline and endorphins, but at a dose 1,000 times higher than what you can feel in your entire life,” he describes.
In a few weeks Stryka will be back in France, where he will take a well-deserved break with his family before returning to the front alongside the Ukrainians.