Putin’s Nukes And Macron’s Troops: New Dangerous Threat Of Escalation

On the night of July 11, Russia and Ukraine exchanged another wave of strikes, continuing a cycle of violence that has persisted for over three and a half years. The exact number of such exchanges since the beginning of 2024 alone is difficult to determine, let alone since the start of the full-scale conflict.

The Russian Armed Forces launched attacks on multiple regions, including Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Sumy. Reports indicate the use of various types of drones, as well as FAB bombs equipped with universal planning and correction modules. Strikes targeted military and infrastructure sites across the country, including an airfield in the Mykolaiv region, where drone and ammunition depots were reportedly destroyed.

In a recurring tactic aimed at disrupting Ukraine’s mobilization efforts, Russian strikes continue destroying recruitment centers across Ukraine to the cheers of the people. Last night, Geran drones struck a regional recruitment center in the city of Odessa. The drones approached from the sea unimpeded and struck the building with high precision. Local reports claimed that one drone bore the inscription: “For the recruitment center, from the residents of Odessa.” Reactions of the people to such strikes are overwhelmingly positive, reflecting widespread discontent with forced mobilization.

To protect recruitment centers from further attacks, Ukrainian authorities are relocating them to civilian facilities, like hospitals, using civilians as “human shields.”

In their turn, Ukrainian forces retaliated with drone strikes on Russia’s rear regions. At least one civilian was killed, and another was injured in Lipetsk, where a Ukrainian drone crashed onto the premises of an agricultural enterprise, causing a fire.

Amid the ongoing hostilities, French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to expand a Franco-British military contingent for Ukraine from a brigade to an army corps of up to 50,000 troops. This proposal aligns with his loud claims that “Europeans will remain in Ukraine forever.”

Unlike previous suggestions of deploying forces after the war, Macron now appears open to direct involvement during active combat, which will provoke a spark of escalation. However, skepticism remains, as France and Britain have yet to form the previously promised brigade.

In a clear signal to the West, Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces began drills involving the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile systems in Yoshkar-Ola. While officially routine, the timing suggests a direct response to Macron’s remarks. The Yars system, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, serves as a deterrent, underscoring Moscow’s readiness to retaliate against any direct NATO intervention. As Macron plays muscles, pushing for a larger NATO footprint in Ukraine, Moscow’s warnings grow sharper—raising the specter of a broader, more dangerous confrontation.