Russia Criticizes Satirical Newspaper Charlie Hebdo For 'Blasphemous' Cartoons Mocking Plane Crash

The controversial satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo has received criticism for reportedly printing offensive cartoons regarding the recent Russian airliner crash over the Sinai Peninsula.

The magazine, which was the target of a January terrorist attack in which 10 staff members were killed by Islamic terrorists, received criticism this week for publishing two controversial cartoons related to the recent plane crash, in which 224 people were killed.

One of the cartoons shows debris from the Russian airliner falling on an Islamic State militant with the caption "Russia's air force intensifies its bombing." Another cartoon image shows the skull and bones one of the plane's victim's.

Russian officials have blasted the cartoons as offensive, insensitive and "blasphemous."

"This has nothing to do with democracy, self-expression or whatever. It is pure blasphemy," Russia's presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said in a statement.

"At least this is how we take it in this country," he continued. "I am not commenting on moral standards of the French - this is a concern of theirs - but in this country it is clear blasphemy."

"Charlie Hebdo is not an official magazine, its circulation is not high, the magazine causes many questions, and many people would not react to this magazine, many consider being insulted by its publications," he added.

Alexey Pushkov, who heads the Russian State Duma, told the TASS media outlet that "the caricatures are overgrowing the boundaries of French journalism. They are so sacrilegious that they require some kind of reaction from the French officials. Their silence will mean their taciturn consent to Charlie's usurped right to mock and scoff at the tragedy."