Nevertheless, Ukrainian forces are managing to hold their ground in places like Pokrovsk, as well as in Kupiansk and Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region — two sites on the front that Russia has been trying to capture for over a year, said Yurii Fedorenko commander of the Achilles UAV Brigade that is fighting in the area.

The Kremlin believes that Macron's government is paving the way to allow it to secretly deploy French troops in Ukraine to help Kyiv militarily.