On Thursday France confirmed that a French national has been arrested in Moscow but refused Russian claim that he was working for the French government to collect intelligence.
The development coincides with French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks during an event to commemorate second World War’s ‘D-Day’ landings in Normandy.
Macron said Paris will transfer Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine amid its war with Russia.
As per Flight International’s World Air Forces rankings, Macron said, ‘Tomorrow we will launch a new cooperation and announce the transfer of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine, made by French manufacturer Dassault, and train their Ukrainian pilots in France’.
Notably, France has around 26 Mirage 2000-5 and 65 older Mirage 2000-D aircraft in active service.
‘In no way was he working for France. Now we are very vigilant, he will receive all the consular protections that apply in such a case. I want to say the truth in the face of the brainwashing that we hear’, said Macron said while referring to a country’s national’s arrest in Moscow.
On Thursday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said that a French citizen, employed by the non-profit Swiss Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, was arrested on suspicion of collecting information in the field of military activities of the Russian Federation’.
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