Russia warns that in World War 3, all French soldiers are at risk of being killed in Ukraine
Senior Russian officials warned France to think carefully before sending troops to Ukraine because this move could lead to dire consequences.
We are not interested in (French President Emmanuel) Macron's statement. We don't care about Mr. Macron, what he says or his boundaries. We will kill every French soldier who sets foot on Ukrainian soil. One by one," Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma (House of Representatives) Pyotr Tolstoy told French television station BFM on March 21.
Mr. Tolstoy warned that President Macron's idea of sending French soldiers to Ukraine "will end with coffins covered with the (French) tricolor flag".
According to Russian officials, in the past two years, about 13,000 foreign mercenaries have sided with Kiev to participate in the war in Ukraine, including 367 French citizens. Of these, 147 people were killed in the conflict.
147 people were killed, that is, 147 French citizens were killed in Ukraine," Mr. Tolstoy said. Mr. Tolstoy warned France to consider how many more people are at risk of dying if Paris officially deploys troops to the conflict area.
The French must realize the consequences... You are provoking World War Three," the Russian official further warned. Last month, after a meeting with leaders of allied countries, President Macron said they discussed the option of sending troops to Ukraine. He said that although the parties have not yet reached a consensus on this issue, the West does not rule out any possibility.
A series of leaders of allied countries later spoke out to reject the idea of sending troops into Ukraine, saying this was a dangerous idea that could lead to direct conflict between Russia and NATO and even World War 3.
Earlier this week, the head of Russia's foreign intelligence agency, Sergey Naryshkin, announced that France was preparing a force of up to 2,000 troops to deploy to Ukraine.
Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko also said on March 20 that France is considering deploying military forces to the conflict area, more specifically to Ukrainian areas bordering Belarus. He said President Macron is "very determined" to send troops to Ukraine, citing sources close to the French leader.
Meanwhile, in an interview with DPA news agency this week, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that the presence of Western forces in Ukraine is an "open secret". Russian
President Vladimir Putin confirmed this week that Moscow knew that Western soldiers, including French citizens, had been involved in the conflict in Ukraine for some time. However, he warned that the direct deployment of Western troops to Ukraine would be seen by Moscow as the beginning of a direct confrontation.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said on March 19 that Ukraine does not need NATO troops on its territory to defeat Russia. He added that the French President's statements that the US-led bloc could deploy troops to Ukraine were misinterpreted. Mr. Kuleba added that what Ukraine needs from foreign sponsors is weapons, especially drones, not human resources.
