World on the brink as Russian spies leak memo 'showing French plans for troops in Ukraine'
Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) published the declassified cypher telegram alleging that 2,000 French troops are heading to Ukraine.
A memo shared by Russian intelligence officials allegedly shows French plans to deploy 2,000 troops to Ukraine to aid in the fight against Vladimir Putin's invasion.
The country's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) published the declassified memo - a cypher telegram from an operative using the pseudonym Felix - in the latest issue of its Scout magazine.
It read: "According to available information, the French contingent is still being prepared for dispatch to Ukraine. At the initial stage, it will consist of about 2,000 people."
The operative said there are concerns over the number of French casualties this could create, claiming without evidence that "dozens of French citizens" had already been killed in a Russian strike near Kharkiv in January.
The memo continued: "Such strikes have become the norm in the Ukrainian conflict. The French military department fears that such a significant 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 SVR is responsible for intelligence and espionage operations outside of Russia and its head Sergey Naryshkin previously warned of 2,000 French troops being deployed to Ukraine.
He said in March: "[The French government] does not care about the deaths of ordinary French people or about the concerns of the generals. According to information coming to the Russian SVR, a contingent to be sent to Ukraine is already being prepared.
"Initially, it will include around 2,000 troops. [Paris] fears that such a large military unit cannot be transferred and stationed in Ukraine unnoticed.
"It will thus become a legitimate priority target for attacks by the Russian armed forces. This means that it will suffer the fate of all the French who have ever come to the Russian world with a sword."
DON'T MISS:
Vladimir Putin humiliation after Ukrainian anglers knock out drone with a fish [LATEST]
Russian army on the brink as soldier turns gun on military unit and 1000s desert [REPORT]
Putin nightmare as Russia burns after Ukraine launches massive drone attack [INSIGHT]
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron was in Washington for the NATO summit, where he discussed sending troops to Ukraine, though maintained they would not be used for combat operations.
He suggested that NATO personnel could be used for training and in advisory roles, or deployed to guard Ukrainian borders, freeing up Ukrainian troops for fighting on the frontlines.
He said in May that he was "not ruling anything out because we are facing someone who is not ruling anything out" when discussing whether French troops would be sent to Ukraine if Russia breaks through the Ukrainian lines.
