MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. French Ambassador to Moscow Pierre Levy, who was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry, has been told that the responsibility for the death of French nationals in Kharkov lies fully with official Paris, the Russian foreign ministry said.

"It was told to the ambassador that the blame for the death of his compatriots rests on official Paris, which is encouraging recruiters in the country to hire mercenaries to take part in the hostilities on the part of the Kiev regime," the ministry said.

"The waging of the 'proxy war' by the West, including France, and the steady increase in weapons supplies to the Kiev regime provoke an escalation of hostilities, lead to numerous civilian casualties and turn it (France - TASS) into an accomplice to the Kiev regime's war crimes," it said.

"We hope that the people of France will ultimately learn the truth about the actual scope of France’s involvement in the conflict and realize the responsibility for the death and suffering of people they will have to share with their government," the ministry stressed.

The diplomat was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry following the death of French mercenaries in Russia’s strike on a temporary deployment center for foreign militants in Kharkov.

The Russian defense ministry said earlier that Russian forces had dealt a pinpoint strike on a temporary deployment center for foreign militants in Kharkov. According to the ministry, most of the foreign mercenaries were French nationals. As a result of the strike, 60 militants were killed and more than 20 were wounded.