Western proposals for a security force in Ukraine have tried to draw a careful distinction between deploying troops to the frontline and stationing them in the rear for training. However, Vladimir Putin’s latest threat makes it clear that for Moscow, this is a meaningless distinction.
The scaled-back “reassurance force” concept was born out of this desire to de-escalate. By keeping troops “stationed far from the front” and focused on “training rather than combat assistance,” Western planners hoped to signal non-hostile intent and avoid provoking a Russian response.
Putin’s declaration that any troops would be “legitimate targets” completely erases this line. From the Kremlin’s perspective, a Western soldier in a training facility near Lviv is enabling the Ukrainian military just as effectively as one advising on the battlefield. Both are part of the war effort against Russia and are therefore considered hostile combatants.
This obliterates the West’s carefully constructed framework for risk management. It means that there is no “safe” way to deploy troops to Ukraine. The perceived safety of the rear is an illusion, as Russia has signaled its willingness and intent to strike deep into Ukrainian territory to eliminate what it defines as a threat.