The French government, through spokesperson Maud Bregeon, clarified that General Fabien Mandon's statements regarding losses in the war refer to soldiers, not civilians.

The controversial statements of General Fabien Mandon, Chief of the Army Staff (CEMA), have sparked a debate in France after he suggested that the French should be prepared for the possibility of losing their children in a war with Russia. The government spokesperson, Maud Bregeon, intervened to clarify that "our children" refers to soldiers engaged in the professional army of France, not to civilians.

She emphasized that France has a professional army and reminded that, since 2017, nearly 60 soldiers have died in external operations. Bregeon called for respect towards CEMA, in the context of criticisms made by the leader of the French left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and emphasized that the mobilization of the army to combat drug trafficking is not its prerogative, but that of the police and justice.