MOSCOW, January 22. /TASS/. Paris is showing blatant hypocrisy by denying that there are French nationals fighting for the Ukrainian armed forces, Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), said.

Earlier, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne claimed that there were no French mercenaries in Ukraine.

"We understand from both intelligence data and developments along the line of contact that there are French citizens fighting on the side of Ukrainian armed units, on a contract basis. However, it’s clear why France is behaving this way, and is unable to acknowledge the fact. Their hypocrisy is the reason. Their laws ban mercenary activities and, if they recognize this [is happening], it would indicate a clear violation of the law," Pushilin told Rossiya-24 television.

He added that the French were acting based on "double standards." "They will deny and dismiss it all, but once they get the chance, they will say that this was the plan all along," the DPR head noted.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported earlier that the Russian Armed Forces had carried out a strike on a temporary base for foreign mercenaries in the city of Kharkov, which had mostly hosted French nationals. The attack killed over 60 fighters and left more than 20 wounded. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on January 19 that a democratic country could not bar its nationals from voluntarily traveling to Ukraine to fight for Kiev. He stressed that such a ban could only be imposed on career military people and those affiliated with French military institutions.