Russia attacks foreign mercenary gathering point in Ukraine

A building in Kharkov, Ukraine was destroyed after a Russian missile strike on January 16 (Photo: AFP).

"On the night of January 16, the Russian military carried out a precision strike on a temporary gathering point of Ukrainian mercenaries in the city of Kharkov," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the building was completely destroyed, more than 60 mercenaries were killed, mostly French.

The attack occurred on the same day that French President Emmanuel Macron declared that France would not let Russia win in Ukraine and pledged to transfer 40 SCALP cruise missiles and hundreds of bombs to Kiev.

Ukraine has not commented on the information.

Kharkov is a stronghold of the Ukrainian army in the northeast. Russia claims that this is where Ukraine carried out cross-border rocket attacks targeting the Russian city of Belgorod, including the attack on December 30, 2023 that killed 25 people and injured more than 100.

Thousands of foreign mercenaries have arrived in Ukraine to fight alongside the Ukrainian army since Russia launched a special military operation in February 2022. The Russian Defense Ministry estimated in July last year that about 2,000 mercenaries remained in Ukraine, while more than 9,000 others had either left the Ukrainian battlefield or died.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-tan-cong-diem-tap-ket-linh-danh-thue-nuoc-ngoai-o-ukraine-20240118062922852.htm