The French ambassador Pierre Levy has been summoned to the russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the alleged elimination of fictional "French mercenaries" by the russian Armed Forces in Kharkiv. This information was reported by the russian media, citing the spokesperson for the russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.
"In connection with the destruction by the armed forces of Russia of a temporary location of foreign militants in Kharkiv, among whom were several dozen French citizens, the French Ambassador has been summoned to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs", - stated Zakharova.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded ironically to these accusations: "France does not have 'mercenaries' in Ukraine or anywhere else, unlike some other states. This is another blatant russian manipulation. We should not attach more importance to it than to previous ones, or those that will surely follow".
As reported earlier, russia's "precision strike" on Kharkiv on January 16 resulted in damage to civilian infrastructure and injuries to 17 civilians.