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       Russian forces launched S-300 missiles against residential areas in Kostiantynivka, causing intense damage to buildings.

       Euronews interviewed resident Vitaliy, who says he has lost everything of the building he has lived in for over 70 years.

       Russia's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has said that comments made by U.S Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin were "irresponsible", after Austin warned on Thursday that NATO would be drawn into war if Ukraine is ultimately defeated by Russia.

       Peskov condemnend the remark as a statement that would " lead to further escalation of tension".

       Meanwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed on Friday in Moscow that Russia has no plans to put nuclear weapons into the Earth's orbit. He said "We have previously discussed the allegations put forth by certain Western figures regarding our purported plans to deploy nuclear weapons in outer space. I am saying allegations because, as I have said before and as we all know, we have no such plans."

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       “It was a night of horror,” explained Laetitia Linon, staring at her nephew’s grave in Marseille’s largest cemetery. The 14-year-old was killed outside a housing estate in the city's impoverished 'Quartiers Nord'. He was shot five times with a Kalashnikov. “A little boy can die here under a hail of bullets, like in Mexico, a cartel country,“ Linon added.

       Some parents are resorting to unusual means in a bid to protect their children. “They bring charges against their own children to keep them safe from drug networks,” law student Amine Kessaci, founder of the NGO 'Conscience', told Euronews.

       ”We’ve lost the drug war,” he said. Drug trafficking killed his older brother. His body was found burnt in a car in December 2020. Since then, the drug-related death count has exploded.

       In 2023, 49 people died against the backdrop of drug trafficking, this figure was an all-time high. A turf war is at the root of these drug feuds. Two of the biggest drug cartels - DZ Mafia and Yoda - are fighting for control of a highly profitable drug market.

       A very lucrative business

       In France, drug trafficking generates about €3 billion every year. Some of Marseille’s dealing spots turn over between €25,000 and €90,000 daily. “Money that flows, corrupts and kills”, the city’s public prosecutor Nicolas Bessone, told Euronews.

       In 'Les Marronniers', one of Marseille’s active trafficking points, prices are displayed “just like on a restaurant menu,” said Mohamed Benmeddour, a local resident and social worker.

       Euronews reporter Hans and local resident Mohamed in Les MarronniersEuronews

       The recently-appointed public prosecutor aims to track down the heads of the networks, including those abroad. “It is wrong to say that the state is not fully aware of this phenomenon,” Nicolas Bessone said.

       The Minister of Justice is also creating liaison magistrate jobs in Dubai “as this is where the drug lords have flown to,” he added And the hard work is paying off.

       In 2023, French authorities seized seven tonnes of cannabis, €21 million in criminal assets and 107 assault rifles in the region around Marseille. Every day, five to 10 drug selling points are dismantled in France’s second city. But many people have lost confidence in the state.

       In Marseille, resources were insufficient to guarantee security and public tranquility. Our Marseille en Grand plan has deployed more police officers on the ground, more investigators, more magistrates and clerks, more prison places.

       To rebuild trust between the police and the population, the RAID AVENTURE association was created by a former member of an elite police unit. Bruno Pomart has set up sports activities in drug-plagued neighbourhoods.

       “Reaching out to families and young people is the most important part of our job,” said Pomart. "It's a way of reclaiming these areas and showing that they haven't been abandoned," he explained.

       Families in the northern districts have also highlighted the urgency of tackling the social roots of drug dealing through employment. Developing entrepreneurship by increasing local SME investments is part of the long-term solution. In addition, the state has pledged additional support to school dropouts and single-parent families.

       But the wounds left by the drug war might never heal. “I’ll never accept Rayanne’s death,” concluded Linon. He had his entire life ahead of him and I will never forgive those who did this to us, we’ve lost too much”.

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       Farmers' protests continued across Europe on Friday, with 66 arrests in Paris after protesting farmers blocked the Champs-élysées during the early hours.

       Placing tractors and straw bales along the iconic avenue near the Arc de Triomphe and French President Emmanuel Macron's office, the élysée Palace, the farmers briefly brought traffic to a standstill.

       Described as a "symbolic" and "peaceful" act by the French farmers union, the tractors were escorted by National Police motorbikes.

       In addition to their national demands, the French farmers are protesting against an EU trade pact with the Mercosur group of South American countries.

       Polish farmers block access to Lithuania

       In Poland, farmers blocked the road to Lithuania, the only access route from the Baltic States to Poland and southern countries.

       They are opposed to the alleged re-export of Ukrainian grain, which would go from Poland to Lithuania in transit and return from Lithuania as an EU import to Poland with no testing or control.

       But Jerzy Plewa, former Polish deputy agriculture minister and a former Director General for Agriculture and Rural Development at the European Commission, in an interview with Euroactiv blamed "record exports from Russia,".

       “Low grain prices on global markets are largely due to Russia’s record exports, which are being sold at low prices particularly to African markets, but also to Europe”, he said.