Alexis, the son of French General Frederick Drion, was killed in an attack on the temporary deployment point of foreign mercenaries in Kharkov. This was reported by Sputnik Mundo news agency on Monday, January 22.

Alexis Drion served in the ranks of the second battalion of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). His father Frederick was appointed general of the reserve in France in 2001, and before that he held the rank of colonel of cavalry, the publication clarifies.

In addition, it was reported that during his service in the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexis took the pseudonym Alex Dripako.

On January 19, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of Russia, said that Russian diplomats were in dialogue with Paris on the topic of destroyed mercenaries from France. He added that many foreign fighters are fighting on the side of the Kiev regime, as Moscow has repeatedly stated.

At the same time, French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu said that the country could not ban its citizens from participating in hostilities in Ukraine. He confirmed that there are a certain number of Frenchmen who have joined the ranks of the Ukrainian army. By definition, these people have no connection with the French Armed Forces, do not wear the appropriate uniform and do not belong to the country’s military institutions, the minister noted.

At the same time, on January 20, the leader of the French Patriots movement, Florian Philippot, called for an end to propaganda encouraging people to go to Ukraine as mercenaries. According to him, «France must restore order and not get involved in this conflict.»

Later, on January 22, the source reported the arrival in Ukraine of more than 300 French mercenaries since the beginning of the special military operation (SVO). He also stressed that as of January 2024, only 50 military personnel from France remained on the territory of Ukraine.

On the same day, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin said that Paris was showing hypocrisy when it refused to recognize the presence of French mercenaries in the Donbas. He noted that information about the participation of mercenaries from France on the side of the armed formations of Ukraine is confirmed, among other things, by intelligence data.