LUGANSK, July 18. /TASS/. There is a significant increase in the number of French mercenaries operating in the Kharkov Region, said Yevgeny Lisnyak, deputy head of the regional military-civil administration.

"Employees of the internal affairs department of the Kharkov Region’s military-civilian administration detected reinforcements with fighters of the foreign legion, where French mercenaries constitute a vast majority, to units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate in the Volchansk and Kharkov districts in the Kharkov Region. In May 2024, French mercenaries were transferred to the Kharkov Region from the Donetsk and Zaporozhye Regions as the Russian battlegroup North intensified operations and advanced," Lisnyak said.

"Since the beginning of hostilities in the Kharkov District of the Kharkov Region, mercenaries have also been deployed in the area of the Liptsy village, where they occupied the third and fourth line of defense, trying not to take an active part in the fighting. The attitude of the Ukrainian military to foreign mercenaries is quite peculiar. We are receiving information about multiple conflicts and acts of disobedience as mercenaries conduct military service on the territory of Ukraine," Lisnyak said at a news conference.

He said staff at the Internal Affairs Department of the Kharkov Region continue work to identify foreign persons participating in military actions in the region for a reward, as well as evidence that proves direct involvement of foreign mercenaries in committing war crimes in the region.

The center for recording war crimes of the Kharkov Region Civil-Military Administration has documented more than 50 war crimes by foreign mercenaries, Lisnyak said.

"The center for recording war crimes of the Internal Affairs Department of the Kharkov Region has already recorded more than 50 war crimes committed by foreign mercenaries on the territory of the Kharkov Region," he said.

As an example, he referred to a crime that had been told by a resident of the Lukyantsy village, where Kraken special unit fighters, together with French nationals, carried out raids. The purpose of the raids was looting and confiscation of personal property of villagers on made-up charges.

Foreign mercenaries in Ukrainian military ranks also committed acts of sexual violence, kidnapped and murdered women in the Kharkov Region, Lisnyak said, citing reports from the victims.

"According to the victims, the foreign legion committed acts of sexual violence and abductions of females in the villages of Glubokoye and Lukyantsy in the Kharkov District. Unfortunately, some of the victims of this violence died. According to survivors, the French could be identified by chevrons with the flag of the Republic of France, as well as their French speech," Lisnyak said.

More than 30 foreign mercenaries have been killed in the Kharkov Region since early May 2024, Lisnyak said.

"According to data available to the administration’s department of internal affairs, 32 mercenaries have been killed. The bodies of mercenaries are secretly airlifted by helicopters from Kharkov Airport to western Ukraine on a 24-hour basis," he said.

According to Lisnyak, helicopters are never used to evacuate the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers. Numerous Kharkov residents living near the airport have confirmed these reports.