Ukraine: Russian MP warns Macron against French troop deployment

Russian lawmaker, Andrey Kartapolov has cautioned President Emmanuel Macron over the planned deployment of a French contingent to fight in Ukraine.

Kartapolov, Chairman of the State Duma’s Defense Committee, said any foreign soldier participating in the war would be a legitimate target for the Russian army.

“For French soldiers who will be sent to Ukraine under this idiotic decision, this will be a one-way ticket,” TASS quoted him as saying.

Kartapolov maintained that Macron is no longer popular in France and has decided to dispatch troops to the battlefront without considering the consequences.

“He is a complete failure; even the Louvre has been robbed,” the MP said, adding: “he needs something he can call a success anywhere, including on the foreign policy track.”

Kartapolov advised the families of French military operatives to hold Macron to account, as all foreigners carrying weapons in the combat operations zone “will be eliminated.”

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service hinted France is deploying about 2,000 soldiers, with elements of the French Foreign Legion already stationed in areas of Poland bordering Ukraine.

French Army Chief General Pierre Schill recently confirmed ground forces were preparing for the mission slated for 2026 as part of security guarantees by European nations.

The comment followed a statement by the Chief of the Defense Staff, Fabien Mandon, that troops should be ready for engagements in the coming years, citing a possible “threat” from Russia.

Last month in Paris, Macron announced that 26 countries in the coalition of the willing had formally committed to send troops to Ukraine, “or be present on the ground, in the sea, or in the air.”