France strongly condemns yesterday’s Russian missile strikes targeting the cities of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk in eastern Ukraine. In Prokrovsk, Russian missiles targeted a residential building, leaving at least seven civilians dead and injuring roughly 60 others. A new round of missile strikes also hit the city of Kupiansk and the surrounding area, leaving two inhabitants dead and several others injured.
These latest attacks on residential areas illustrate once again Russia’s total contempt for the protection of civilians and international humanitarian law, which it flagrantly and consistently violates.
As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna has repeatedly emphasized, these acts are war crimes and cannot go unpunished. France is committed and will remain committed to bolstering its military support for Ukraine, in particular by working in close cooperation with its partners to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses. Lastly, France maintains its full support for the Ukrainian and international courts in an effort to combat impunity for the crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.
Originally published at https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/ukraine/news/article/ukraine-france-condemns-the-latest-russian-strikes-in-eastern-ukraine-08-08-23
