MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/. Russian servicemen will eliminate the 2,000-person military contingent that French President Emmanuel Macron ordered to be prepared for deployment in Ukraine in less than a week, French war correspondent working in Donbass and editor-in-chief of International Reporters Christelle Neant told TASS in an interview.

"What would those 2,000 [French servicemen] do in Ukraine? Most will likely die quickly because, when we consider Ukraine's daily losses, it's clear that these 2,000 servicemen won't last even a week there," she told TASS reporters on the sidelines of the Dialogue on Fakes 3.0 forum.

The correspondent added that, for Macron, war is the perfect distraction from the real problems facing France. "Macron is currently in a very difficult situation. Politically, he no longer has a majority in parliament. Plus, there are all these scandals involving his wife, not to mention the economic catastrophe. <…> And war is a good opportunity to get people to stop talking about domestic problems and focus on the war," Neant noted.

Earlier, the press bureau of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) reported that, on Macron's orders, the French Armed Forces’ General Staff is preparing to deploy up to 2,000 soldiers and officers to Ukraine to assist the Kiev regime. According to the SVR, the unit's core will consist of assault troops from the French Foreign Legion, primarily from Latin America, who are stationed in areas of Poland bordering Ukraine. These troops are undergoing intensive combat training and receiving weapons and military equipment.