Russian propagandists imitate Franc Tireur’s cover page

Journalists from the French publication, Franc Tireur, often criticize Russia and Putin for the crime of aggression against Ukraine

Russian propagandists are spreading the fabricated cover page of France’s Franc Tireur publication through their media outlets, Telegram channels and Twitter. The meeting of war criminal Putin and President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping in Moscow has been used as an informational pretext in this case.

The cover page is fake and has never existed. The fabricated image allegedly shows issue No. 71. But, issue No. 71 on Franc Tireur’s official website has an absolutely different cover.

Franc Tireur’s cover pages included references to Ukraine several times. In issue No. 67, which was released on February 22, 2023, the main topic was an interview with Inna Shevchenko, an ex-activist of the Femen movement, who talked about the suffering of her family, staying in Ukraine.

Issue No. 18, dated March 16, 2022, contained an article dedicated to a French entrepreneur who left a high post at one of the leading companies and went to the front. He described his life with Ukrainian soldiers.

In addition, Franc Tireur’s journalists often criticize Russia and Putin for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. Issue No. 44, dated September 14, 2022, outlines the origins of Russian fascism and Aleksandr Dugin, whom the journalists call ‘the ideologue of Putin’s insane war’.

Issue No. 65 describes the atrocities of the Wagner Group’s mercenaries in Africa.

On March 22, 2023, when the fabricated cover page was released, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the frontline positions of Ukrainian forces in the Bakhmut direction and presented state awards to Ukrainian defenders.

Andrii Olenin