Russia says France is preparing to send 2,000 troops to Ukraine

The head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, has said that the French government is already preparing to send a military contingent of about 2,000 people to Ukraine. The French government called Naryshkin's statements disinformation, BBC reports.

According to Naryshkin, the Russian secret service has received information that "a contingent is already being prepared to be sent to Ukraine" and "at the initial stage it will be about two thousand people".

"The French military fears that such a large military unit will not be able to be transferred and stationed in Ukraine unnoticed. Thus, it will become a priority legitimate target for attacks by the Russian armed forces," the Foreign Intelligence Service press service quoted Naryshkin as saying.

After that, the French Ministry of Defence issued its own statement, which reads:

"The ploy used by the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, once again shows how Russia systematically uses disinformation. We consider such provocations irresponsible."

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out that Western troops could be deployed to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression in the future.

The main NATO countries, including Germany and the United States, as well as the leadership of the bloc itself, have stated that there are no such plans at present.

Background. Meanwhile, Le Monde wrote that the French authorities have been discussing sending troops to Ukraine since the summer of 2023.