in Eastern Europe, many NATO troops installed

After the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, NATO decided to establish itself in Eastern Europe, and in particular in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, since 2017.”More recently, since the invasion of Ukraine, it has decided to expand into Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria“, details journalist Juliette Prigent. Among the forces deployed, there are 4,500 French soldiers, including 500 in Romania where Emmanuel Macron went.

In this region, NATO forces number nearly 40,000 soldiers. “This is almost ten times more than in February 2021 […] and to this, we must add the 100,000 American soldiers present in Europe“, she continues. A figure at its highest since 2005 and which has increased since the war in Ukraine. On the Russian side, there could be between 169,000 and 190,000 soldiers in and around Ukraine, even if it is more difficult to establish these figures.