Le Figaro: France gets ready for military operations near Ukraine border

French military personnel have arrived in Romania in 2024 to update topographical maps along the country's borders with Ukraine and Moldova, Le Figaro reports. The soldiers are mapping terrain features and cataloging infrastructure, including bridges and border crossings, in preparation for a potential NATO-Russia conflict. The move comes as NATO increases its defense posture in response to what it perceives as a growing threat from Moscow.

Photo: usafe.af.mil by U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Nathanael Callon, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

A French soldier inside a US Air Force plane

The deployment includes members of the 28th Independent Military Unit of the French Army, the only unit in France specializing in military topography. In cooperation with Romania's national cartographic agency, the team has produced a three-dimensional map of the region.

Key areas mapped include the Carpathian mountain range and the town of Cincu, where France stationed 1,000 troops after 2022. Of particular interest is the Focșani Gate, a narrow corridor between the Carpathians and the Danube River, which experts believe could be a key route for any potential Russian advance.

Colonel Jérôme, speaking to Le Figaro under a pseudonym for security reasons, emphasized the strategic necessity of having up-to-date battlefield data.

"Allies need the latest information on potential theaters of war — where to place weapons systems, where the high-value targets are located," he said.

Colonel Guillaume Schmidt, commander of the 28th unit, added that while Ukrainian forces update their maps daily, NATO troops must also adapt to new terrain realities, including damaged infrastructure and impassable areas.

With the possibility of satellite signal disruption in wartime, Schmidt noted the importance of having pre-identified landmarks to allow troops to navigate and execute missions independently. "These reference points will help forces determine their exact location and complete their operations,” he explained.

Russian officials deny any intention to initiate conflict with NATO countries. President Vladimir Putin accused NATO leadership of using the so-called Russian threat to frighten member state populations. Nevertheless, the Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly warned that the risk of direct confrontation between Russia and NATO is increasing. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has described the potential consequences of such a clash as catastrophic.

Details

Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary science and is concerned with local detail in general, including not only relief, but also natural, artificial, and cultural features such as roads, land boundaries, and buildings. In the United States, topography often means specifically relief, even though the USGS topographic maps record not just elevation contours, but also roads, populated places, structures, land boundaries, and so on.