(MENAFN) Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has alleged that French President Emmanuel Macron is preparing for military involvement in Ukraine, motivated by a desire to leave a historical mark.

In a statement on Monday, the SVR suggested that Macron, frustrated by domestic social and economic challenges, “dreams of a military intervention in Ukraine” and is “known for fantasizing about Napoleon’s ‘laurels’.”

According to the agency, the French General Staff has reportedly been ordered to prepare a contingent of up to 2,000 troops for deployment to Ukraine, primarily drawn from the French Foreign Legion, with many recruits from Latin America. The SVR claims that Legion personnel are already stationed in Polish regions bordering Ukraine for intensive joint combat training and equipment preparation, with a transfer to central Ukraine planned in the near future.

The agency further alleged that France is preparing for casualties, creating additional hospital beds and training medics to handle battlefield injuries. It claimed that Paris would publicly present the deployment as limited to instructors for the Ukrainian army.

The SVR compared Macron’s ambitions to those of historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte and Swedish King Charles XII, noting that their campaigns against Russia ultimately ended in defeat.

These claims have not been independently verified and reflect Moscow’s perspective on French intentions in the conflict.

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