Kremlin: “All foreign military in Ukraine are legitimate targets”

Published 5 June 2024 at 11.55

Foreign. For example, if France were to send military instructors to Ukraine, they would become a “legitimate target” for the Russian military, according to the Kremlin.

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Reuters reported last week that France is considering sending military instructors to Ukraine shortly.

An article in the Washington Post on Monday stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin would look to attack French forces if they were successfully located . This with the aim of “humiliating Emmanuel Macron”.

When Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov was asked questions about the article at a press conference on Tuesday, he replied:

– The fact is that all the instructors involved in training the Ukrainian regime's military lacks immunity. And it doesn't matter if they're French or not.

Peskov's comments came after Ukrainian MP Aleksej Gontjarenko announced last week that a first group of French military instructors was on its way to Ukraine. Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyy has confirmed the information.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference on Tuesday that there are “many facts” that suggest French instructors are already operating in Ukraine.

– Whether they are members of the French armed forces or simply mercenaries, they represent an absolutely legitimate target for our armed forces, Lavrov warned.

Putin himself said last week that Western military instructors “have long been present” in Ukraine.