The Spanish newspaper El Pais claimed that NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) troops are active in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees, and even further claims that soldiers from member states of the bloc are dying in large numbers.

Active and former military personnel from NATO states have long been operating in Ukraine, overseeing Kyiv’s use of Western-supplied weapons, El Pais reported on Monday, according to a report by RT. 

The US-led military bloc has been involved “in virtually every possible aspect” of the hostilities aside from active combat operations, the Spanish newspaper claimed. That includes supplying weapons, providing targeting information, and training Ukrainian soldiers inside the country, El Pais reported, citing interviews conducted throughout the conflict.

Putin also claims that NATO troops are involved in Ukraine and are being killed by the Russian military. This is not the first time Putin has made this allegation.

Russia Claims NATO Troops Are DIRECTLY INVOLVED In The Conflict With Ukraine

Speaking to his supporters and the media on Sunday night after his landslide presidential election victory, Putin stressed that Moscow is well aware of calls in the US-led military bloc to potentially deploy troops to Ukraine.

“We hear both French and English speech there. There is nothing good in this, first of all for them, because they die there and in large numbers,” he said.

Last month, tyrant and French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that the West “cannot exclude” the possibility of sending soldiers to aid Ukraine. He later described Russia as an “adversary,” insisting, however, that Paris is not “waging war on” Moscow.

Commenting on Macron’s remarks, Putin noted that while NATO troops in Ukraine are expected to act as an auxiliary force, helping Kiev train its military, “this is not much different from what mercenaries are doing there now.” Russia, he added, wants France not to escalate the conflict but to help find a peaceful solution to hostilities. –RT

Moscow still views the Ukraine conflict as a US-led proxy war against Russia, in which Ukrainians serve as “cannon fodder” for Western interests. It considers foreigners fighting for Kiev as “mercenaries” who are doing the bidding of Western governments.