"Employees of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Military Administration of the Kharkov region recorded an increase in the enemy contingent in the ranks of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in the Kharkov region at the expense of fighters of the foreign legion, the overwhelming majority consisting of French mercenaries. In May 2024, French mercenaries in connection with the intensification of activity of Russia's Battlegroup Sever grouping of troops were transferred to the Kharkov region from the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions," Lisnyak said.
According to him, 32 mercenaries from France are currently known to have died.
There are facts of sexual crimes and abductions of women committed by mercenaries in the Kharkov region, deputy head of Russia's military-civil administration of the Kharkov region, Evgeny Lisnyak said.
According to Lisnyak, the administration's Internal Affairs Directorate registered more than 50 war crimes committed by foreign mercenaries in the Kharkov region.
"So, according to the statement of an evacuated resident of the Kharkov region, shortly before the start of hostilities, raids were carried out on the territory of the village of Lukiantsi by fighters of the Kraken special forces together with foreign citizens of French origin. The purpose of the raids was looting and confiscation of personal property of residents. In addition, according to the victims, the foreign legion committed acts of sexual violence and abductions of women from the villages of Glubokoe and Lukiantsi," Lisnyak said.
He noted that some of the victims of the violence had died, and survivors reported that the perpetrators were wearing French chevrons.