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No, two French soldiers have not been killed in a Russian attack in Ukraine

France24 · · 412 words · By The FRANCE; Nora LITOUSSI
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260513-two-french-soldiers-not-been-killed-…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
info Single Source 1
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“Pro-Russian accounts are claiming that Sergeant Bin Chen and Corporal Axel Delplanque "vanished" in Odesa, Ukraine, during an underwater mission.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results explicitly mention a report by military expert Boris Rozhin claiming that Sergeant Bin Chen and Corporal Axel Delplanque went missing after a Russian strike on the port of Odessa.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Russian president also says he is willing to meet Ukraine’s Zelenskyy in a third country if a long-term peace deal is reached. Listen (5 mins).Russian President Vladimir Putin talks to the media follo…
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/10/putin-suggests-russ…
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web search NEUTRAL — Britain has accused a "sick Russian troll factory" of "plaguing social media with Kremlin propaganda" after funding what it said was expert research into the organisation.
https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-britain-accuses-sick-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — But what does the symbol mean? In Russia, the "Z" is fast becoming seen as a staunchly pro-war symbol of President Putin's invasion of Ukraine. It has been sported by politicians, seen on the sides of…
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60644832
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“these two French service members recently lost their lives”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Milinfo, France News, and Angers diving tragedy report) confirm the deaths of Sergeant Bin Chen and Corporal Axel Delplanque.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of comics creators. Although comics have different formats, this list mainly focuses on comic book and graphic novel creators. However, some creators of comic strips are also found here…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_comics_creators
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A stock character is a dramatic or literary character representing a generic type in a conventional, simplified manner and recurring in many fictional works. The following list labels some of these st…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stock_characters
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2019 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2019 by the Governor Gener…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Australia_Day_Honours
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“the circumstances of their deaths have no connection to any Russian attack.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the deaths occurred during a diving training accident in Angers, France, not during a Russian attack. One source explicitly states 'No, two French soldiers have not been killed in a Russian attack'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bukit Kepong (English: Kepong Hill) is a 1981 Malaysian Malay-language war film produced and directed by Jins Shamsuddin starring himself, A. Rahim and Hussein Abu Hassan. The film was based on the B…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukit_Kepong_(film)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Cadet Corps (NCC) is a military-themed youth organisation supported by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Ministry of Education (MOE). As of 2020, it had more than 11,000 members, i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Cadet_Corps_(Singapor…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rookies' Diary is a satirical military comedy television series and drama created in Taiwan. It has a total of 43 episodes of approximately 1 hour each. It aired from July 2, 2010 to April 22, 2011. T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rookies'_Diary
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“The account behind the post, Ghost Hawk, was created in April 2026 and exclusively shares pro-Russian content.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided Wikipedia results discuss a TV series called 'The Hawk' and a song by Lana Del Rey, but there is no evidence regarding a social media account named 'Ghost Hawk' created in April 2026.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Hawk is an upcoming comedy series created by Will Ferrell and starring Ferrell and Molly Shannon. The series is set to premiere on Netflix in mid-2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hawk_(TV_series)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In politics, the terms war hawk and hawk describe a person who favours starting armed conflicts or escalating ongoing ones instead of attempting to solve problems through diplomacy or other nonviolent…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_hawk
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on February 17, 2026, as the third single from her upcoming tenth studio album, Stove.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Feather_Hawk_Tail_Deer_H…
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“The release announces the deaths of Sergeant Bin Chen and Corporal Axel Delplanque during a "combat engineer diving training" in Angers, on the night of May 5, 2026.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the deaths occurred during 'combat engineer diving training' in Angers on the night of May 5, 2026.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2019 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2019 by the Governor Gener…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Australia_Day_Honours
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of comics creators. Although comics have different formats, this list mainly focuses on comic book and graphic novel creators. However, some creators of comic strips are also found here…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_comics_creators
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — A stock character is a dramatic or literary character representing a generic type in a conventional, simplified manner and recurring in many fictional works. The following list labels some of these st…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stock_characters
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The public prosecutor's office in Rennes, western France, has opened an investigation that is currently underway to determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that the prosecutor's office provided initial reports and that an investigation was launched to locate the soldiers and determine circumstances.
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web search NEUTRAL — Sergeant Bin Chen of the 1st Engineer Regiment (1er REG) and Corporal Axel Delplanque of the 6th Engineer Regiment (6e RG), aged 30 and 24 respectively, entered the water around 11:00 PM near the Bas-…
https://en.topwar.ru/282207-poterjany-v-hode-boevoj-podgotov…
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web search NEUTRAL — The exercise had begun around 11 p.m. Around 2 a.m., contact was lost with the two divers, according to initial reports from the prosecutor's office. A search launched during the night located the two…
https://entrevue.fr/en/drames-et-catastrophes/drame-de-plong…
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web search NEUTRAL — The US, UK and Israel are hoping for the same effect on Iranian children with sanctions. Iran does not want or need nuclear weapons. History is repeating its...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM0uvgHKZe8
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“only Sergeant Bin Chen was a member of the Foreign Legion”
CORROBORATED
Sources specify Sergeant Bin Chen was from the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG/REI) of the Foreign Legion, while Corporal Axel Delplanque was from the 6th Engineer Regiment (6e RG), which is not a Foreign Legion unit.
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web search NEUTRAL — Two French servicemen of the Foreign Legion, Sergeant Bin Chen and Corporal Axel Delplank, went missing after a missile strike and drone attack by the Russian Armed Forces on the port of Odessa. Milit…
https://voennoedelo.com/en/posts/id15674-french-legion-sappe…
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web search NEUTRAL — On the night of May 4–5, 2026, a legionnaire of the French Foreign Legion’s 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) died during a night military diving exercise in the Maine River in Angers, western F…
https://foreignlegion.info/
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web search NEUTRAL — The French Foreign Legion (French: Légion étrangère, also known simply as la Légion, 'the Legion') is a corps of the French Army created to allow foreign nationals into French service.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion
info
“Corporal Axel Delplanque had spent the majority of his career with the 13th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins (Alpine Hunters).”
SINGLE SOURCE
While Wikipedia and other sources confirm the existence and nature of the 13th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins, none of the provided evidence links Corporal Axel Delplanque specifically to this unit; they link him to the 6th Engineer Regiment.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Training of chasseurs alpins on the Mont Blanc massif. 13th Battalion in Chambéry (Savoie). Since 1999 they have been (with other units) part of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade (Brigade d'Infanteri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasseurs_Alpins
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web search NEUTRAL — What does it take to survive in the mountains? Find out as NATO video producers embed with the Chasseurs Alpins (“Alpine Hunters” in English), the French Arm...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPL52Sea0OY
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web search NEUTRAL — The Chasseurs Alpins, known in English as the Alpine Hunters, are the elite mountain infantry corps of the French Army, specializing in combat and operations within rugged alpine environments, high al…
https://grokipedia.com/page/Chasseurs_Alpins
help
“the ministry of the armed forces confirmed the deaths and said that France "has no troops deployed in Ukraine".”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the specific statement by the ministry of the armed forces regarding the lack of troops in Ukraine.
help
“A formal tribute was also held in their honour at the National Assembly on May 5.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a formal tribute at the National Assembly on May 5.
schedule
“Since the start of 2026, five French service members have lost their lives in the line of duty.”
PENDING
schedule
“In late April, Staff Sergeant Florian Montorio and Corporal Anicet Girardin died during an operational mission in Lebanon.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.