RT reported that on July 23, the Russian Defense Ministry said a missile attack had destroyed a temporary facility of Western coaches and hostages in Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry shared a video showing a missile attack on a temporary deployment center near the city of Kharkov in Ukraine, home to Western coaches and hostages.
The Russian Defense Ministry said about 50 foreigners were believed to have died in a ballistic missile attack carried out by the Iskander-M system, noting that the facility was located in Dergachi, a town in the Kharkov region.
The attack comes as Russia has repeatedly warned that any foreign military personnel operating in Ukraine are considered legitimate targets for Russian attacks and will be eliminated.
Last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated the threat when France hinted at officially sending troops to Ukraine.
Any person who participates in training the Ukrainian army does not have any exemption. Whether they are French or not is not important," Peskov told reporters at the time.
Earlier this month, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) released a report, in which an agent declared the French military "concerned about the growing number of French killed in Ukraine's military campaign".
Russian forces said they had destroyed another temporary deployment center for foreign fighters in Kharkov in January, killing dozens of French citizens.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also recently stated that Western military coaches have been long there in Ukraine under the guise of meritorious soldiers and stressed that they are legitimate targets of the Russian armed forces.
