The Russian parliament on Wednesday passed a resolution addressed to French lawmakers denouncing the alleged presence of French "mercenaries" in Ukraine, escalating tensions with Paris.
The move follows days of escalating tensions between Moscow and Paris after Russia claimed, without evidence, to have killed a group of French mercenaries in Ukraine's Kharkiv last week.
"Despite the fact that Paris officially denies that French mercenaries are participating in the military conflict in Ukraine... objective information about losses in mercenary neo-Nazi units reliably indicates the opposite," the resolution read.
"We should ask ourselves, our voters, who are we dealing with when we talk about France and the French?" it read.
Moscow said it had "destroyed" a group of 60 French mercenaries in a strike on Kharkiv on January 17.
Paris has dismissed the claims as part of a Russian disinformation campaign, saying it had no mercenaries in Ukraine or anywhere else.
Moscow had last week summoned the French ambassador over what it said was France's "growing involvement in the Ukraine conflict".
France has been one of Kyiv's staunchest allies during Moscow's almost two-year offensive, and the Russian claims came after Paris announced it would send dozens of long-range missiles to Ukraine.
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Comments (3)
Russians and MAGAS birds of a feather... pathetic animals.
Putin’s dummies are at it again, given they have little to govern under Russia’s stress of failed SO’s war results and Western sanctions. “Let jump into the Boss’s psyche mind tripping campaign!”
Kharkiv, like Crimea is in Ukraine! Stupid russians.