"Their propaganda is bogus", says Béranger Minaud, a 45-year-old Frenchman who fought with the Ukrainian armed forces. In a vast communications operation, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have "eliminated" some sixty fighters in a strike on the night of January 16-17 in Kharkiv, northeast Ukraine. Béranger Minaud, quoted in the Russian ministry's list, claims to be "alive and well" and only on contract in the army, with "the same salary as a Ukrainian soldier". "We're a full-fledged part of the Ukrainian army, like the Foreign Legion in France," confirms Franck, from the front line where he is deployed. Paris has identified a "coordinated Russian maneuver" to spread false information implicating France, such as the alleged presence of French "mercenaries" fighting for Kiev in Ukraine, the Ministry of the Armed Forces announced on Friday. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES