Russia said that any troops sent to Ukraine by Western governments would be "legitimate combat targets", after Britain and France announced plans to deploy a multinational force there in the event of a ceasefire.

Russia warned Thursday that any Western troops deployed to Ukraine under a potential peace settlement would be viewed as “legitimate targets” and treated accordingly. The warning comes just two days after a high-level meeting in Paris where the United Kingdom and France signed a “declaration of intent” to deploy troops to Ukraine if a peace

Russia doubled down on its longstanding position of declaring Western forces in Ukraine “legitimate targets” on Thursday, days after France and the UK pledged to send troops there in the event of a peace deal.

Russia has lost around 1,207,910 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Dec. 31. Ukraine's military reportedly struck oil depots in the various Russian and Russian-occupied regions late on Dec. 30, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

Moscow said the Oreshnik weapon's use was in retaliation for the widely dismissed claim that Ukrainian forces targeted one of Putin's residences.

The United Kingdom and France have agreed to deploy forces in Ukraine if it strikes a peace deal with Russia, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, in a renewed push by Western leaders to guarantee Kyiv’s post-war security and deter Moscow from further aggression.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin stated during a church service that Russian troops, "on God's instruction," are carrying out a "holy mission" to defend the homeland in Ukraine. — Ukrinform.

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 160 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy armored combat vehicles in its areas of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. Russian troops ...