France is on the verge of sending a contingent of 2,000 men to Ukraine, the director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service said on Tuesday.Information denied by the Ministry of the Armed Forces, which denounces “once again Russia’s systematic use of disinformation”.
“Russia has information according to which France is preparing to send a military contingent of 2,000 men to Ukraine, declared the director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergey Naryshkin.” This is what we can read this Tuesday, March 19, in an article from the Russian press agency TASS published in the middle of the afternoon. According to Sergey Naryshkin, the French military “fear that such a large military unit could be transferred and stationed in Ukraine without being noticed” and fear being “a priority and legitimate target for attacks by the Russian armed forces”.
But these comments were quickly denied by the Ministry of the Armed Forces. In a message sent to TF1 and LCI, he indicates that “The maneuver orchestrated by Sergey Naryshkin, Director of Russian Foreign Intelligence, once again illustrates Russia’s systematic use of disinformation. We consider this type of provocation irresponsible.”
Last week, the President of the Republic reaffirmed that ground operations in Ukraine by the West might be necessary, in line with comments made at the end of February which had sowed confusion among public opinion and among his European allies. “We will never lead an offensive, we will never take the initiative. France is a force for peace”however, declared Emmanuel Macron on TF1 and France 2, keen to reassure his fellow citizens and the international community.