Russia has threatened to target any French troops deployed to Ukraine in response to statements from Ukraine and France about the potential deployment of French military advisors.
The Russian foreign minister and Putin spokesman stated that French soldiers in Ukraine would be considered legitimate military targets, whether serving as advisors or “mercenaries”.
“The thing is that all instructors who train Ukrainian troops have no immunity [from Russian attacks against them], whether they are French or not,” Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Vladimir Putin, stated.
They noted France would have no immunity from Russian attacks.
These threats follow bellicose rhetoric from French President Macron promoting direct NATO involvement in Ukraine to prevent permanent Russian occupation.
While Russia has repeatedly claimed France already has large numbers of secret troops in Ukraine, Western fact-checkers say Russia is spreading fabricated evidence to support these statements.
The response indicates Russia would view additional Western military participation in Ukraine as a further escalation.
