Moscow accuses France of using “mercenaries” in Ukraine; Paris denounces “gross manipulation”.
Amid growing diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Paris, Russia has denounced the presence of French “mercenaries” in Ukraine. On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a press release without providing evidence that it had destroyed a building in Kharkiv in a “precision attack” that served as a “temporary operational zone for mercenaries, most of whom were French citizens.” Sixty fighters were “eliminated” and 20 were injured, Moscow assures.
At the same time, the French ambassador to Russia was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Friday to be criticized for “Paris's increasing involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.”
“France has no “mercenaries,” neither in Ukraine nor elsewhere, unlike others,” responded forcefully, denouncing “a new gross Russian manipulation.”
The term “mercenary” chosen by Moscow is not insignificant. French law prohibits mercenary activity or fighting for pay abroad and is punishable by five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros. This term is also used by France to denounce the activities of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, which Paris has accused for years of robberies and war crimes in Africa.
On Monday, a pro-Russian French association, SOS Donbass, published a list of names of 13 “French mercenaries” via the Russian agency RIA Novosti. According to a French diplomatic source, some of the identities mentioned on these lists are false. The broadcaster Rybar, which is close to the Russian army, also expresses doubts about the list transmitted by SOS Donbass.