Rooster: A French Soldier’s War for Ukraine
By Matthew Parish
Saturday 10 October 2026
Foreign volunteers have been part of Ukraine’s defence since the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. They have come for different reasons and with widely differing backgrounds: some driven by political conviction, some by military vocation, some by a sense that the war in Ukraine represents a struggle extending far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Rooster belongs firmly to the military tradition. A 25-year-old Frenchman and former member of the French armed forces, he came to Ukraine after several years of military service and experience on overseas deployments in Europe and Africa. He has served in Ukraine since the beginning of 2025, initially with the International Legion and subsequently with the 33rd Assault Regiment. He now commands an exclusively French-speaking reconnaissance and assault group.
His assessment of the war is neither romantic nor uncritical. He speaks admiringly of the endurance of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, particularly those in Kharkiv and eastern Ukraine, while expressing severe criticisms of aspects of Ukrainian military organisation and the treatment of foreign volunteers. He is equally sceptical about Western complacency and questions whether European societies understand the scale of the conflict unfolding on their continent.
The following interview has been edited and translated from French for clarity and publication.
Matthew Parish: To begin, could you introduce yourself to our readers, within the limits of what you can disclose without compromising your security or that of your unit?
Rooster: My name is Rooster. I am 25 years old and I have been serving in Ukraine since the beginning of 2025. I currently lead an exclusively French-speaking reconnaissance and assault group attached to the 33rd Assault Regiment.
Matthew Parish: You are French. What brought you to Ukraine and ultimately led you to serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces? What was your life in France before coming here, and did you already have military experience?
Rooster: I had served for several years in the French armed forces and participated in several overseas operations, both in Europe and Africa. I wanted to continue doing this profession but in a different environment.
For a soldier today, the fighting in Ukraine represents, in many respects, the culmination of everything for which NATO armies have spent years preparing. I wanted to confront that reality for myself.
Matthew Parish: Do you remember when you decided that simply supporting Ukraine was no longer enough and that you wanted to become personally involved?
Rooster: I have always believed that people should live according to their convictions. In the West, we hear a great deal about “support” for Ukraine, but much of that support remains theoretical.
In my view, if you genuinely support Ukraine, you should express that support concretely. That might mean donations or practical civilian assistance; it might also mean military service. I had relevant skills and wanted to continue working in the military field, so very shortly after finishing my military career in France I chose this form of commitment.
Matthew Parish: How did your family and friends in France react?
Rooster: At first, with enormous concern, which I can understand. But I come from a military family and I think they have now come to understand my decision and the meaning behind my commitment.
Matthew Parish: What were your first impressions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and your Ukrainian comrades?
Rooster: Extremely mixed. The Ukrainian military is very heterogeneous in terms of standards. Coming from a Western military background, I found the lack of discipline and organisational rigour at certain levels particularly striking. From my perspective, there is considerable disorganisation in parts of the system.
On the other hand, I immediately noticed an extraordinary capacity for adaptation among Ukrainian soldiers, together with tremendous resilience and toughness. Those qualities are impossible to miss.
Matthew Parish: Has the language barrier been a significant difficulty? How do you communicate with the other members of your unit?
Rooster: I have always served in French-speaking units here, first in the International Legion and subsequently in the 33rd Assault Regiment. There have been occasions at the front when we have fought alongside Ukrainians, but in the heat of combat you generally find ways of making yourself understood.
Matthew Parish: Without discussing operational details, what is daily life like for a soldier serving in the Kharkiv region?
Rooster: I had the honour of serving in the Kharkiv region for more than a year and it is by far my favourite region of Ukraine. For a long period, we undertook extended missions at the front and could return to Kharkiv only for a few days between missions.
That made the city seem like paradise on earth.
Matthew Parish: What has surprised you most about the reality of the war compared with the picture you had before arriving in Ukraine?
Rooster: What surprised me most was the extent to which some Ukrainians themselves can seem disconnected from the reality of the war. In the eastern oblasts, you see a civilian population that is extremely involved and mobilised. In my experience, the further west you travel, the more you can sense a degree of detachment from the war.
Matthew Parish: How would you describe the morale of the Ukrainian soldiers alongside whom you serve?
Rooster: Ukrainian soldiers are providing an extraordinary lesson in resistance and heroism because, in my view, many of them are genuinely exhausted. Yet I have never had the impression, when speaking to a Ukrainian soldier, that he was ready simply to abandon the fight.
Matthew Parish: The Kharkiv region has endured years of bombardment and warfare. What strikes you most about the way civilians continue living under these conditions?
Rooster: Civilians in Kharkiv are extraordinarily mobilised and supportive of their armed forces. Their ability to continue living something resembling a normal life while being bombarded impresses me enormously. It is also a source of motivation for me to continue.
I once told one of my men: “We are fighting so that one day the young people of Kharkiv can carry on partying after midnight.”
There is something important in that idea. Ultimately, normal life is part of what we are fighting for.
Matthew Parish: Have you developed a particular attachment to Kharkiv, its region or Ukraine more generally?
Rooster: I am extremely attached to Kharkiv. I consider it my second home. I rent a small apartment there and live in it during my periods of rest.
Matthew Parish: What have you learned about Ukrainians from living and serving alongside them?
Rooster: If I had to choose one thing, it would be their spirit of resistance: the determination to continue fighting even when everything seems to be going against you.
Matthew Parish: Has your experience in Ukraine changed the way you think about France, Europe or European security?
Rooster: It has reinforced my belief that neither European armies nor European populations are prepared for warfare on this scale. In my view, our armies are preparing for war using concepts that are twenty years behind events, while civilian populations have become too detached from patriotic values to be mobilised in sufficient numbers if a major war occurred.
Ukraine demonstrates the scale of the problem.
Matthew Parish: Do you think the French understand sufficiently what is at stake in this war and why its outcome matters directly to France?
Rooster: No. What concerns the French, like much of the rest of the Western world, is their pay cheque at the end of the month, the football World Cup and the latest series on Netflix.
The West does not understand the magnitude of what is taking place in Ukraine. From my perspective, what is happening here is a battle for the survival and future security of Europe.
Matthew Parish: What do you make of the political debate in France about the level of military assistance Paris should provide to Ukraine?
Rooster: To be honest, if French citizens were simply asked to vote for more or less financial or material support for Ukraine under the present arrangements, I would have serious reservations about voting for more.
Working here has put me in a position where I have seen what I regard as examples of resources being badly employed and, in some cases, potentially diverted. I believe European countries should concentrate much more seriously upon rebuilding their own military capabilities so that they are prepared to absorb a future shock, while finding ways to support Ukraine more effectively on the ground.
There also needs to be proper accountability for Western assistance. Unless people can see how aid is being used and have confidence in the mechanisms supervising it, it is understandable that European taxpayers will ask questions about where their money is going.
Matthew Parish: As a Frenchman serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, do you ever feel that, on a small scale, you embody a form of European solidarity with Ukraine?
Rooster: Completely. At the front, a genuine international solidarity has developed and the bonds between foreign volunteers are extremely strong.
Matthew Parish: What is psychologically the most difficult aspect of military life in Ukraine, and what allows you to maintain your determination?
Rooster: One of the hardest things has been what I regard as the attitude of parts of the command structure towards foreign soldiers. Foreigners can sometimes feel that they are regarded either as mercenaries or simply as expendable manpower.
What continues to motivate me above all are my comrades: those who are still fighting and those who have fallen.
Matthew Parish: Has there been a particular encounter or experience in Ukraine that fundamentally changed the way you think?
Rooster: Meeting the commanders of the French company in the International Legion had an enormous influence upon me. To me, these men are legends. They have been fighting in Ukraine since 2022, have been wounded several times and have nevertheless continued.
Since having the honour of serving alongside them, I have tried to live up to their example. Their courage and perseverance inspire me enormously.
Matthew Parish: When this war eventually ends, what do you hope to do? Can you imagine returning permanently to France, remaining in Ukraine, or is it simply too early to know?
Rooster: I do not yet know whether I will live permanently in Ukraine, but I intend to keep a home here, particularly in the Kharkiv region.
Matthew Parish: What would you like to say directly to French readers following this war from the relative safety of Western Europe?
Rooster: I would like to see more French people become actively involved. Europe is under attack and France is one of the pillars of European security.
Our military history is rich and I believe our people must recognise that they have a role to play in the defence of Europe. There are many ways to contribute; military service is only one of them. But indifference is not a sufficient response to what is happening here.
Matthew Parish: Finally, after everything you have seen and experienced in Ukraine, what does the word “freedom” mean to you now?
Rooster: For me, freedom would mean being able one day to travel across this country with a wife and children without risking our lives.
It would mean being able to eat in a restaurant or have a drink with them in the streets of Kharkiv, showing them the places where I spent my youth and explaining to them that all of this came at a cost.
That, for me, would be freedom.
