French military intel chief's resignation seen as fallout for misjudging Putin's intentions in Ukraine

Paris — The head of France's military intelligence has quit his post in what's being seen as fallout from France misjudging Russia's intentions in Ukraine. As the U.S. predicted Russia was ready to invade Ukraine, France preferred to believe it wouldn't go that far.

Early in March, the head of France's armed forces, General Thierry Burkhard, admitted there had been very different interpretations of available intelligence.

"The Americans said that the Russians were going to attack, and they were right," he told Le Monde newspaper. "Our services thought instead that the cost of conquering Ukraine would be colossal and that Russia had other options" to bring down the regime of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.