Russia is preparing for a “shock” to test Europe, France’s head of General Staff of the armed forces has claimed. “Russia is a country that may be tempted to continue the war on our continent,” General Fabien Mandon told lawmakers on the National Assembly’s defence committee on Wednesday (October 22), also revealing that he is preparing French armed forces for such an event.
“The first objective I have given the armed forces is to be ready in three or four years for a shock that would be a kind of test,” the general added, who was appointed to the highest-ranking position in the French army last month. “The test already exists in hybrid forms, but it may become more violent.” Top generals and politicians from within EU and NATO countries have already warned that Moscow could attack in the coming years, with timelines varying from 2027 to 2030. This comes as the European Commission presented a roadmap to help capitals prepare for war by 2030 last week. “To assume that the 2022 invasion of Ukraine is the last attack and that it will not happen again on our continent is to ignore the risk facing our societies,” Gen. Mandon, 56, told lawmakers. “The Russians are reorganising with one goal in mind: to confront NATO.”
Traditionally, France and its military leaders have not spoken openly about a Russian attack on NATO. However, in recent months, this has become more obvious. President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe is “in a confrontation with Russia,” while also adding that Russia will have no say on the presence of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine should a ceasefire be reached.
Mr Macron told local press: “Ukraine is sovereign. If it asks for allied forces to be on its territory, it’s not something for Russia to accept or not”.
However, Gen. Mandon did add: “Europe is the right scale to address our challenges,” according to Politico.
France’s rearmament push is already a signal to deter Russia, he explained.
“If our rivals perceive that we are making this effort, they may renounce. If they feel that we are not prepared to defend ourselves, I don’t see what could stop them.”
Gen. Mandon’s warning came as Vladimir Putin flexed Russia’s military muscles on Wednesday, launching nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) during a training exercise, according to the Kremlin. The training for strategic nuclear forces, led by Mr Putin as Russia’s commander in chief, also reportedly included air-launched cruise missiles. The Kremlin said the exercise was intended to test the level of readiness of Russia’s military command bodies in case of an attack.
The launch of the ‘Yars’ ICBM was reportedly carried out from the Russian space port Plesetsk, located in the Arkhangelsk Oblast, and targeted the ‘Kura’ test range in Kamchatka. The ballistic missile ‘Sineva’ was launched from the nuclear-powered submarine cruiser ‘Bryansk’, located in the Barents Sea, the Kremlin also said via state media. Long-range aviation Tu-95MS aircraft carried out launches of cruise missiles, the Kremlin added.