MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. Civilians staying in the war zone report inhumane acts by foreign mercenaries of the Ukrainian army in the Kharkov direction, Vitaly Ganchev, head of the Kharkov Military-Civil Administration, said at a press conference.

"The mercenaries are mostly Western, mainly from France, Poland, Georgia, the Baltic states. It's not only the military that tells us this, but residents who were evacuated from there. The civilian population mainly complains about brutal treatment from Western mercenaries, who act as if they are on safari," Ganchev said.

He said that the foreigners avoid open clashes with the Russian army – they serve either as drone operators, trying to attack while hiding far away, or in barrage detachments, where they shoot retreating and surrendering Ukrainians.

According to him, they bully civilians who spend months in basements with almost no food or water, teasing them by eating in front of these hungry people. "Of course, they (the Kharkov residents) are waiting for the Russian army, because these are the only people who can help them today," Ganchev added.

He also said that the Ukrainians who were forcibly mobilized are the least complained about.