Zakharova condemned the reaction of the French Foreign Minister to the death of mercenaries in Kharkov
“A professional minister, and simply a caring person, would not invent anything about “Russian manipulation” and deny reality, but would get all the information about French citizens. Or has the French government finally distanced itself from its people?” — says Zakharova’s post.
Thus, she commented on Sejournet’s words in an interview with Le Parisien on January 20 that Russia is allegedly putting pressure on European states through various manipulations. An example of such pressure, in his opinion, is the summons of the ambassador to the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding the French mercenary soldiers who died in Kharkov.
On January 16, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the liquidation of military personnel at Ukrainian temporary deployment points in Kharkov . As a result of the attack by the Russian Armed Forces, more than 60 people were killed and over 20 were injured. Most of the hired military personnel were French, the Ministry of Defense clarified then .
On January 18, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the French Ambassador to Moscow, Pierre Levy. The diplomat was told that “the death of his compatriots lies on the conscience of official Paris.” The Russian ministry believes that the French authorities are condoning recruitment into the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces.
On January 20, RIA Novosti wrote that French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu called reports of French citizens fighting on the side of Ukraine as part of Russia’s “information war.” On January 22, the agency published the names of 13 French mercenaries who died in Kharkov. It is explained that the list was compiled by French volunteers from the SOS Donbass organization.
