The French ambassador to Russia was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday to respond to Kremlin allegations about the presence of French mercenaries in Ukraine. Russia actually bombed a hotel in Kharkiv on Tuesday, justifying the presence of French fighters inside. Quai d’Orsay condemns false accusation and attempted manipulation.
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Quai d’Ors would have done this without controversy. France does not have “mercenaries” in Ukraine, the French Foreign Ministry said Thursday, January 18, in response to Moscow’s statement that it had targeted a building housing “French mercenaries” in Kharkiv (north-east) on Tuesday.
“France has no ‘mercenaries’, neither in Ukraine nor elsewhere, unlike others. This is a new crude Russian manipulation. We should not give it more importance than the previous ones and the following ones that are sure to come,” added Quai. D’Orsay. In the process, the Tass agency reported that the French ambassador to Russia, Pierre Levy, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday, citing a ministry spokesman.
While the Russian MoD is claiming it hit “French mercenaries”, they actually hit residential, energy facilities and medical facilities. More SCALP missiles from France (#information).… https://t.co/lLCIcSqaiq
— alleyesonwagner (@alleyesonwagner) January 17, 2024
Russia claimed responsibility for an attack on a building where “French mercenaries” were stationed in Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv on Wednesday evening, where local authorities reported 17 civilians were injured.
“When the Russian Defense Ministry claims to have killed French mercenaries, they actually hit energy and medical infrastructure,” responded the NGO All Eyes on Wagner on social network X (formerly Twitter ).
France condemns attempts at manipulation
The Russian accusations come after President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that France would deliver 40 additional long-range Scalp missiles to Kiev and sign a security agreement with Ukraine. Ukraine’s allies also launched an “artillery” coalition in Paris on Thursday to meet Kiev’s dire weapons needs.
For a senior French official, the tempo of the accusations reflects a certain reaction to the French announcements. “Russia uses the information sphere to respond to the political sphere,” he explained on condition of anonymity.
“This is part of their narrative, which is built around NATO’s war against Russia and a conspiracy against Moscow to prevent it from becoming a power,” he added.
According to him, the Russian accusations are mainly aimed at the Russian population, “to confirm that its leaders are fighting courageously against a group of countries.” He also maintains “a kind of ambivalence for those in the West who think Russia is right.”
with AFP
