The French Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador Alexey Meshkov on Monday over the deaths of two French aid workers in Ukraine and a disinformation campaign against France.
Last Thursday, two French aid workers were allegedly killed in a Russian aerial strike near the front line north of the Dnieper River. Newly appointed French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné stated:
Two French humanitarian workers have paid for their commitment with their life. Three others are wounded.
On Friday, a foreign ministry spokesman also condemned “an intensification of Russian malevolent activities” against France. The surge in tensions between the two countries comes after French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Kyiv in the coming weeks.
The Russian Defence Ministry claims to have killed French mercenaries in the Kharkiv Oblast last month, according to AFP. Paris has strongly denied such a French presence, with Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu claiming:
Unlike others, France does not employ mercenaries.
Ambassador Alexey Meshkov has been summoned to the Foreign Office twice before, including shortly after the outbreak of the war in 2022.
