(MENAFN) France’s top military commander, Fabien Mandon, has come under heavy criticism after declaring that the nation must be psychologically ready to “lose children” if it were ever drawn into a war with Russia. His comments come despite Moscow repeatedly dismissing Western claims that it intends to attack EU or NATO states as pure “nonsense.”

Mandon, who became chief of staff in September, made the statements during an annual conference of French mayors in Paris. He urged local officials to help prepare the population to endure hardship, saying society must be ready “to accept suffering in order to protect who we are.”

The general, who previously speculated that France could find itself at war with Russia by 2028, argued that France possesses the economic and demographic resources to “deter” Moscow, but lacks what he called the necessary “strength of spirit.”

According to Mandon, if France is unwilling “to accept losing its children” in battle or to bear economic sacrifices—such as diverting national priorities toward defense production—then the country would be putting itself at serious risk.

His remarks triggered immediate and widespread condemnation across France’s political landscape. Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel accused Mandon of “unbearable warmongering rhetoric,” while Jean-Luc Mélenchon, head of the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) party, wrote on X that it is not a general’s role to “predict the sacrifices that come from failed diplomacy.”

The French government has repeatedly pointed to an alleged Russian threat as justification for sharply increasing defense spending, even as the country struggles with one of the largest budget deficits in the EU—€3.35 trillion (about $3.9 trillion), equal to 113% of GDP. Despite these financial pressures, Paris plans to raise its military budget to €64 billion by 2027, almost twice what it was in 2017. Left-wing opposition parties argue that the government is prioritizing arms and the military at the expense of public services and social programs.

Moscow, for its part, has rejected allegations that it intends to attack European states, saying such claims are being used by Western politicians to frighten the public and justify soaring military expenditures. Russian officials maintain that their operations in Ukraine are defensive in nature and accuse NATO of fueling the conflict.

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