The head of the French army, General Thierry Burkhard, on Friday said France was Russia’s “main enemy in Europe” as he held a rare press conference ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s annual address to members of the armed forces.
The Élysée said on Thursday that President Emmanuel Macron will make “major announcements” when he gives a planned speech to members of the armed forces in two days’ time.
Burkhard said Russia saw Paris as a primary adversary largely due to French support for Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion. “It was [Vladimir] Putin who said” this, the general added.
I don’t think Russia’s first target if they ever manage to attack deeper into Europe will be France, the nation with “nuclear warning shot” in their nuclear weapons doctrine.
Attack as in roll in through Europe with their tanks ? No. Because of geography and because they don’t have the logistics to open a new front on their own borders. For now. But more hybrid warfare fuckery such as assassinations, attacks on military and civilian infrastructure or psyops, like they’ve been doing ? I’m afraid we have to expect a ramping up of those.
Agreed, especially on the psyops front. It’s no secret that Russia has been manipulating global politics for a long time now, and France is another European country which has seen a rising Russia-friendly neofascist movement in Rassemblement National. They’ve just barely been kept out of power the past few election, but as their numbers keep growing, one must only wonder how much longer that can be the case.
Similar with Germany and AfD. Europe is being worn down from within and no one seems to be inclined to do anything about it.
That’s the same thing that got us here in the US. You have to clamp down on that shit while you still can. The fucking Russian government is good at it.
thier troll farms of russia is very useful for that.
They could do it if they pull the ol’ Uno reverse on NATO’s superhighway infrastructure, and like…just get away with that.