Kathrine Frich
Russian intelligence services have launched a new narrative alleging that France is preparing to deploy troops to Ukraine.
The claim, widely circulated by state-controlled media, suggests that President Emmanuel Macron plans a major military intervention, a story French officials have not confirmed and Western analysts describe as deliberate disinformation.
Echoes from Moscow
According to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Paris is preparing to send around two thousand troops, including members of the French Foreign Legion, to support Ukraine.
The report, repeated by Kremlin-aligned news outlets, describes the alleged operation as Macron’s “dream” of entering history as a military commander.
Russian agents claim that the “core” of the unit would consist of legionnaires from Latin America, already stationed in Poland near the Ukrainian border, where they are said to be receiving intensive combat training and new equipment.
The statement also asserts that their redeployment to central Ukraine is imminent.
No independent source has verified these claims, and neither the French government nor the Ministry of Defence has issued any statement supporting them.
Disinformation tactics
The SVR communique goes further, alleging that France is preparing field hospitals and medical teams for a wave of wounded soldiers returning from Ukraine.
It claims that “hundreds of additional hospital beds” are being set up across the country and that military doctors are undergoing special field training.
The report also speculates that, should details of the supposed operation leak, Paris would publicly claim that the troops are “instructors” assisting Ukrainian recruits.
Such language mirrors familiar propaganda techniques used by Russian intelligence to frame Western nations as direct participants in the war.
Historical distortions
In a rhetorical flourish, the SVR commentary mocks Macron’s alleged “Napoleonic ambitions,” accusing him of ignoring historical lessons about failed invasions of Russia.
The message cites Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky’s words: “History teaches nothing, but only punishes for ignorance of lessons.”
The reference links Macron’s supposed intentions to those of Napoleon and Sweden’s Charles XII, both defeated in campaigns against Russia, a frequent theme in Russian wartime narratives meant to evoke patriotic sentiment and portray foreign leaders as reckless aggressors.
Western reaction
Analysts from European media outlets, including Digi24, describe the claims as a “smoke bomb” intended to distract from Moscow’s own military setbacks in Ukraine and to stoke fears of NATO escalation.
France’s Foreign Legion, founded in 1831 to incorporate foreign nationals into the French Army, remains active in global operations, but there is no evidence of any planned deployment to Ukraine.
For now, the allegations appear to be another chapter in the information war accompanying the ongoing conflict.
Sources: Digi24, Reuters, BBC, AP
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, who may have used AI in the preparation
