MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed on Thursday that French President Emmanuel Macron is preparing his military for confrontation with Russia.

At a press briefing in Moscow, Zakharova referred to Macron's recent address to the armed forces, where he said France's security line runs "through borders in Europe and Ukraine."

"You ask what goals Emmanuel Macron is pursuing ... It is clear that Paris is preparing for further confrontation with our country," Zakharova said.

The spokeswoman pointed out that France has been bolstering its military capabilities for years, saying in 2022, Macron announced his intention to prepare the armed forces for "high-intensity warfare" and shift the economy to a "war footing." This, she added, was followed by a new military planning law, which doubles France's defense budget over the next decade.

Zakharova said the development of advanced weaponry is ongoing, with many weapons being tested in Ukraine, which she described as a "testing ground for the West's hybrid war against Russia."

The spokeswoman criticized the lack of peace initiatives from France, saying it was another evidence of France’s "bellicose intentions."

She said the French youth are being prepared for confrontation with Russia under the guise of voluntary measures.

In this connection, she draw a comparison with Ukraine, warning that such measures could eventually become mandatory.

According to the spokeswoman's assessment, Macron represents not only France but also the so-called "war party" within NATO, which she said aims to prolong the Ukrainian conflict and deny Russia's legitimate security interests, describing France and Macron as "key patrons of the Kyiv regime, escalating rhetoric and actions against Russia."

Zakharova also referenced statements by French officials about the potential deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine, whether as instructors, military support personnel, or under the guise of peacekeepers.

She suggested that Macron’s latest comments were intended as a signal to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to lower the mobilization age to 18 and to counter peace-oriented voices in Europe and the US.

Responding to reports that French special forces conducted exercises in terrain resembling the Dnieper River region north of Kyiv, Zakharova offered sarcastic advice: "Paris should choose a water barrier similar to the Berezina River to practice retreat skills," she said, hinting Napoleon Bonaparte’s disastrous retreat across the Berezina in 1812, where his army suffered heavy losses. Since then the term "Berezina" has become synonymous with catastrophe in French.

"This river and its landscape, which can be reconstructed, are quite suitable," Zakharova said.