PARIS (Reuters) – French leftist firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon inched closer to a place in the crucial runoff of the French presidential election in a poll on Wednesday, appearing to gain momentum just as far-right rivals are hit by their pro-Russian views. Melenchon, a 70-year old former Socialist minister, moved to third place in an Elabe poll of voting intentions for the first round for BFM Television, jumping above far-right contender Eric Zemmour, who has been in free fall since the invasion of Ukraine. Melenchon, who is running for president for the third time, was up 0.5 percentage point…