By Yiğit Saner
Days before the terrorist attack in Moscow, France allegedly sent two thousand troops to Ukraine, bringing tensions to a peak. According to the claim, a division has allegedly landed south of Kyiv. Brussels, which Zelenskyy insulted for not sending more aid, will fund Kyiv with frozen Russian assets.
Minutes after Friday’s terrorist attack in the Russian capital that left dozens of dead, the famous Russian historian and philosopher Aleksandr Dugin named it: “War.”
Indeed, statements, developments, provocations and rising tensions for weeks have been pointing to an explosion at some point, but the events in Moscow suggest that a worse storm is coming. Indeed, the harsh climate of war in Europe continues to have an increasing impact on the continent. The atmosphere in Europe has deteriorated to such an extent that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that every time he comes to Brussels, he feels like he is in “another galaxy” with leaders living in a fantasy world where logic does not exist. “The EU is in a spiral of war, there is talk of deploying troops in Ukraine, this is shocking,” Orbán said, sharing “backstage information”.
“If we want peace, we have to prepare for war,” said Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, a leader who clearly reflected the mood Orbán was talking about: “Russia is a serious military threat to our European continent and to global security. If we do not get the EU’s response right, and do not give Ukraine enough support to stop Russia, we are next. We must therefore be defense-ready and shift to a ‘war economy’ mode. It is time to take responsibility for our own security.” Defense industry breakthroughs, imports of military ammunition, compulsory military service for both men and women, civil defense classes in schools, and now the “war economy” is also being talked about.
“French army is the primary target”
The head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Nariskin stated that France is preparing a military unit for deployment in Ukraine and that two thousand soldiers will be deployed in the first phase. “The soldiers of the French unit in Ukraine will be a prioritized target for the Russian Army,” the intelligence chief said. The French Defense Ministry denied the allegations and described the statements made by the head of the Russian foreign intelligence service as “disinformation and irresponsibility”.
Moscow, on the other hand, does not seem to have paid much attention to Paris’ denials. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said, “If French soldiers come to Ukraine, we will kill them. I will provide them with beautiful coffins, I personally promise.” Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasiliy Nebenzya emphasized that Paris “should not forget” that Moscow would consider the French Army in Ukraine as a prioritized target.
The famous Brazilian journalist Pepe Escobar, a passionate supporter of multipolarity, made an important claim just before Friday night’s terrorist attack: “REGULAR TROOPS from France, Germany and Poland have arrived, by rail and air, to Cherkasy, south of Kyiv. Substantial force. No numbers have been leaked. They are being housed in schools. For all practical purposes, this is a NATO force. Let the games BEGIN.”
“A nice surprise” for Macron
Italian Senator Roberto Menia said about French President Emmanuel Macron who, according to many, is playing “Napoleon”, but “not very well”: “When he talks about sending troops to the war in Ukraine, he shouldn’t show off his very feminine muscles, I find him funny.” The Russian National Guard also sent toy soldier figures to the French Embassy in Moscow as a “nice surprise” for Macron. This “meaningful gift” was accompanied by the following note: “You can play with them as much as you like and get rid of your Napoleon complex.”
Although Macron, who has stirred Europe with his remarks in recent weeks, has remained silent in recent days, Paris and its allies have continued to make statements that have kept tensions high. France’s Chief of General Staff General Pierre Schill said his country was ready for “the most challenging engagements” to defend itself: “However the international situation may evolve, French people can be certain that their soldiers stand ready to respond.”
“For the defense of Berlin”
Polish President Andrzej Duda provided a unique example of the level of war paranoia in Europe: “New reports are coming in, and I recently saw one by German experts which said that as early as perhaps 2026 or 2027, Putin, by putting his economy on a war footing, will have such military might that he will be able to attack NATO. Alarm bells are ringing, we have two or three years in which we can increase our efforts, stockpile ammunition, produce weapons to maximize Europe’s security, get ready and make sure that the invasion does not happen.”
The actual preparations for the “Russian invasion” should have already begun, as Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, after talks with his counterpart Boris Pistorius, who promised that Germany would be “ready for war”, announced that they had formed a “coalition of armored capabilities to support Ukraine” and a “joint rapid reaction battle group” with a total of five thousand soldiers. It was not specified on which country’s territory this group would carry out this “response”. In this context, Bild reports that the German Air Force has ordered 75 JASSM-ER cruise missiles from the United States worth 8 billion euros “to strengthen Berlin’s defenses”.
Zelensky insulted Brussels
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the other hand, took it to the level of “spoiling” and said that the EU was not doing enough to help Kyiv and that this was “humiliating” for Europe. Zelenskyy called on the EU to speed up defense production as soon as possible, to use the revenues from frozen Russian assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine and to start negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU as soon as possible. Brussels, of course, did not let the Kyiv regime get down and fulfilled the demands one by one. Regarding the Russian assets, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “They will finance military equipment for Ukraine. We can expect to collect around €3 billion for 2024 and similar amounts in the coming years.” The final declaration of the EU summit also stated that Ukraine urgently needs “air defense systems, ammunition and missiles” and emphasized that Brussels will accelerate the supply of all necessary military aid.