Ex-adviser to the President of Ukraine: Umerov was punished for the death of the French in Kharkov

Ukrainian Defense Minister punished for the death of French mercenaries – Soskin

France is extremely dissatisfied with the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Rustem Umerov due to the death of a large number of French mercenaries in Kharkov, former adviser to Leonid Kuchma Oleg Soskin said in his blog on YouTube.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense stated that on January 17, a temporary deployment point was hit in Kharkov, which included French mercenaries. The next day, Umerov canceled his trip to Paris.

“Umerov was denied this visit because he did not provide protection,” said the ex-adviser to the President of Ukraine.

According to Soskin, the French were engaged in the upcoming defense of the city in Kharkov, and now the French authorities would like to know who transmitted information about their location before the attack.

“France is, of course, furious,” Soskin said.

Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned French Ambassador Pierre Levy, who was presented with facts of Paris’s increasing involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. Levy pointed out that the death of French citizens in Kharkov lies on the conscience of official Paris, which condones the work of recruiting mechanisms in the country. The Foreign Ministry also stated that the increase in arms supplies to Kyiv by France and other countries runs counter to statements about the importance of achieving peace and leads to escalation and numerous civilian casualties.

French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu said that France is not able to prohibit its citizens from traveling to Ukraine to participate in hostilities. Lecornu noted that civilians, not military personnel, are sent to Ukraine. He also accused Russia of “waging information war” in connection with published information about French mercenaries fighting in Ukraine.