Ukraine says France 24 report from Russian army camp is ‘disgrace to journalism’

Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for the Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that visiting the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia without permission is a violation of Ukrainian law.

"France 24's report that Russian troops are preparing to kill the Ukrainian people is a disgrace to journalism. Going to occupied territories without Ukraine's consent violates Ukrainian legislation, and those who participate in such actions will be held accountable to the law," he emphasized.

The report was posted on the France 24 website on April 13, but later it was removed from the site. It was titled "War in Ukraine: Russian troops preparing for battle ahead of counteroffensive".

“About 30 kilometers from the frontline, in a secret location, Russian troops are preparing for battle. Most of the soldiers here are not professionals, they were drafted from Siberia. They have already visited the front, and now they are preparing to return there,” the French journalists' story begins.

The story doesn't mention that the Russian military is committing illegal aggression against Ukraine. Instead, the story is full of comments from the occupying Russian forces, who boast that their weapons are better than Western ones, including Leopard tanks. One of the characters in the story also says that he is “defending the history” of his country with dignity.

The mobilized men wear a cap with the aggression symbol Z and symbols of the Soviet Union. One of them said that he was "not afraid of death" but was afraid that his "children would be left without a father and his wife without a husband."

One of the Russian soldiers said that he wasn't afraid of a counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops, which the journalist, quoting his hero, called “enemy”. 
 

• US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin believes that Ukraine has enough resources to succeed in a counteroffensive.