French general says country must ‘prepare to lose its children’ in potential war

France’s top general, Fabien Mandon, has sparked political backlash after warning that the country must be ready to ‘lose its children’ in the event of a war with Russia, citing societal unpreparedness despite France’s economic and demographic strength. While some officials and centrist politicians defend the warning as a realistic alert, critics on the left denounce it as political.