MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/. France could bring about 1,500 servicemen to combat readiness in April for deployment to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"New information is emerging about the preparation by Paris of a military contingent to be sent to Ukraine. To this end, the command of the French Foreign Legion in early March approved the makeup of a battalion tactical group of about 1,500 people," she said at a news conference. "It is expected that in April the group will be brought to full combat readiness for an operational deployment to the Ukrainian theater of military operations."

"Meanwhile, the French continue thу part of their history, which in general should be consigned to oblivion: the business of their ancestors, who were engaged in the secret export from Ukraine of cultural treasures, including ancient Byzantine icons, for their alleged, as they phrase it, preservation in France," the diplomat said.

Zakharova also said the Kiev regime "continues to cleanse the media space and introduce total censorship in the country."

"On March 28, France’s Le Figaro published an article about 70 journalists that were killed in Ukraine and 250 media outlets that were closed," the spokeswoman said. "Better late than never. Just a question: We had talked about all this, including with Le Figaro, which interviewed representatives of the Foreign Ministry."