MINSK, 19 March (BelTA) – Russia has the information that France is preparing a military contingent of 2,000 troops to be sent to Ukraine, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin said, TASS reported.
"The current leadership of the country [France] does not care about the deaths of ordinary French people or about the concerns of the generals. According to the information that the Russian SVR has received France is putting together a contingent to be sent to Ukraine. Initially, it will include around 2,000 troops," he said.
According to Sergey Naryshkin, the French military "are concerned that such a large military unit cannot be transferred and deployed in Ukraine unnoticed."
The SVR chief noted that French President Emmanuel Macron is delaying the acknowledgment of the deaths of French troops in Ukraine, wary of new protests amid the ongoing farmers’ campaign across the country
According to him head, the French Army is "noticeably concerned" over the growing number of French citizens killed in Ukraine. The country has not known such losses abroad since the war in Algeria in the 20th century. For example, dozens of French citizens were killed in a Russian strike on a temporary deployment facility for foreigners near Kharkov on 17 January alone. Since then, such strikes have become the norm in the Ukrainian conflict.
After a conference on Ukraine in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron did not unequivocally rule out potential sending Western land troops to the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine. He also vowed that Western states would "do what is needed" to prevent Russia’s victory in this conflict.
"The current leadership of the country [France] does not care about the deaths of ordinary French people or about the concerns of the generals. According to the information that the Russian SVR has received France is putting together a contingent to be sent to Ukraine. Initially, it will include around 2,000 troops," he said.
According to Sergey Naryshkin, the French military "are concerned that such a large military unit cannot be transferred and deployed in Ukraine unnoticed."
The SVR chief noted that French President Emmanuel Macron is delaying the acknowledgment of the deaths of French troops in Ukraine, wary of new protests amid the ongoing farmers’ campaign across the country
According to him head, the French Army is "noticeably concerned" over the growing number of French citizens killed in Ukraine. The country has not known such losses abroad since the war in Algeria in the 20th century. For example, dozens of French citizens were killed in a Russian strike on a temporary deployment facility for foreigners near Kharkov on 17 January alone. Since then, such strikes have become the norm in the Ukrainian conflict.
After a conference on Ukraine in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron did not unequivocally rule out potential sending Western land troops to the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine. He also vowed that Western states would "do what is needed" to prevent Russia’s victory in this conflict.
