LIVE – War in Ukraine: Two civilians killed during raid by Russian troops against a village

Tensions continue to rise between Paris and Moscow. Nothing is going well between France and Russia. Paris has identified a “coordinated maneuver” by Moscow to spread disinformation, such as the alleged presence of French “mercenaries” fighting for Kiev in Ukraine, the Ministry of Armed Forces announced on Friday. “The relevant state services have identified and are pursuing a coordinated maneuver by Russia, including pro-Russian information networks and state media such as Sputnik News, RT and RIA Novosti, to disseminate and amplify this disinformation.”

A spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova, reacted on Friday by condemning Emmanuel Macron’s “militaristic rampage” after recent announcements of military aid to Kiev. Addressing the French president, she said: “You cannot stop us on the road to victory!”

Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of shooting down a plane in Belgorod. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that it was “brilliant” that the Il-76 military transport plane that crashed in the border area on Wednesday was shot down by Ukrainian forces. The plane crashed near the Russian village of Yablonovo, 45 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Russian authorities say 74 people were killed in the crash, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners who were being transferred for an exchange with Kiev.

“The intelligence services of the Ukrainian military knew we were taking 65 soldiers (Ukrainians, editor’s note) on board. They shot him down by mistake or on purpose, but they did it,” he said during his first remarks to Russian students. Crash “Either way it’s a crime.”

The two Russians are charged with “high treason”. The Russian Security Services (FSB) announced on Friday the arrest of two Russians accused of providing intelligence to Ukraine, specifically on the position of Moscow’s forces on the battlefield. Since the start of the conflict, nearly two years ago, authorities have increased the number of arrests of individuals suspected of collaborating with Kiev.

The two men, whose identities have not been released, were arrested in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, near the border with Ukraine and which has become an operational center for Russian forces. Suspected of “high treason” punishable by up to 20 years in prison, they were held in pre-trial detention, Russian security services said in a statement.