MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. Foreign mercenaries are actively involved in the attack on the Kursk Region, they assign no value to lives of the locals, including children, and are ready to use them as human shields, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing.

"The so-called soldiers of fortune from third countries are involved in the attack on the Kursk Region. American mercenaries have demonstratively posted a photo of a mortar position next to a children’s playground in the Kursk Region online," the diplomat noted. "It seems, the militants are proud of their violation of humanitarian law, they could not care less about civilian lives, including children, and are ready to use them as cover, like the Nazis did during the assault on the Brest Fortress, just like terrorists do in the newest history."

She pointed out the shameless attempts of the Ukrainian propaganda to "forge fake materials about the allegedly harmless, careful" invaders.

"They launch hoaxes that make your head spin. Allegedly, they give away food, help locals solve their problems. These hoaxes are being debunked immediately, rebuttals are being published immediately," Zakharova said.

She announced that Reuters security advisor Ryan Evans was killed in the missile strike at the Sapfir hotel in the Kiev-controlled city of Kramatorsk.

"He was registered as a former employee of the MI6. But we are well aware that there are not former MI6 employees," the diplomat said. "This directly proves that Western intelligence agencies literally direct the mass media they control to carry out anti-Russian information campaigns. This has nothing to do with journalism, you see."

"It is indicative that other foreign mercenaries were eliminated along with the so-called advisor," Zakharova added.