DID Press: Russia issued a stark warning following plans by UK and France to deploy 15,000 troops to Ukraine, saying any such forces and related facilities would be considered “legitimate military targets.”
London and Paris intend to station their forces in western Ukraine after any potential ceasefire agreement, reported Times newspaper, citing informed sources. The deployment would focus on training Ukrainian troops and constructing protected facilities for the storage of weapons and military equipment.
Earlier proposals had suggested the deployment of 10,000 troops, but the plan has reportedly been revised to 7,500 soldiers from each country. In addition, Estonia is expected to send several hundred troops to Ukraine, while Germany plans to station its forces in Romania or Poland.
Responding to these developments, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that all European military personnel, installations, and related infrastructure deployed in Ukraine would constitute lawful targets for the Russian armed forces.
She described the move as foreign interference and a direct threat to Russia’s security, warning that further militarization of Ukraine would not contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, but instead would intensify and expand hostilities.
Russia has repeatedly issued warnings on this matter at the highest levels, stressing that any deployment of foreign troops on Ukrainian territory would carry serious security consequences for the countries involved, Zakharova added.