France was forced to vehemently deny accusations made by Moscow, alleging that French mercenaries were targeted in a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
The French foreign ministry, in response to the claims, declared that there are no “mercenaries” from France in Ukraine or any other location.
“France has no ‘mercenaries’ either in Ukraine or anywhere else, unlike some people,” the foreign ministry told AFP, labelling the accusations as “another clumsy Russian manipulation”.
The controversy arose after Moscow’s defence ministry claimed on Wednesday that it had targeted “foreign militants in the city of Kharkiv, the core of which were French mercenaries” during a strike on January 16.
The Russian ministry claimed to have killed numerous foreign militants and injured many more but did not provide any evidence to substantiate these assertions.
In response to the allegations, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported that France’s ambassador had been summoned in connection with the incident.
The strikes on Tuesday severely damaged a multi-storey building in central Kharkiv, causing destruction to the structure and leaving debris scattered in the streets below. According to local authorities, 17 civilians were wounded in the attack. Kharkiv region governor Oleg Synegubov emphasised that there were no military targets in the area hit by the strikes.
“While the Russian defence ministry is claiming it killed ‘French mercenaries,’ they actually hit residential, energy facilities, and medical facilities,” stated the observer group All Eyes on Wagner on social media.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, lying close to the Russian border, has been enduring persistent shelling since Russia initiated large-scale hostilities in February 2022. The situation has raised concerns internationally, with various nations closely monitoring developments and calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
As accusations and counter-accusations continue to escalate, the international community is anxiously watching the situation unfold, urging for a transparent investigation to ascertain the facts surrounding the alleged involvement of French mercenaries in the conflict.
