The uptick of tensions between France and Russia come as French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Kyiv in the coming weeks.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry also condemned “an intensification of Russian malevolent activities” against France.
“Russia is multiplying disinformation operations, whether it’s the question of [so-called] mercenaries in Ukraine, the crash of the plane of Belgorod. Or even less recently the creation of a doppelganger [a double] of the website of the ministry of foreign affairs,” said Deputy Spokesperson Christophe Lemoine.
According to AFP, the Russian Defense ministry claims to have killed French mercenaries in the Kharkiv region last month. Paris has vehemently denied such French presence. “Unlike others, France does not employ mercenaries,” Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, said at the time.
