Q – Late Friday night, Ukraine used a sea drone to attack a civilian ship in the Black Sea. The head of Ukraine’s SBU security service, Vasyl Malyuk, confirmed that the Russian oil tanker Sig was the target of the attack. The tanker was located in the Kerch Strait to the east of Crimea and the crew did not report being warned by the Ukrainian maritime authorities. Would the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs please comment on this incident? What is France’s position on the Ukrainian armed forces’ attacks and threats of attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea? Do you think that the attack on the oil tanker could have caused an environmental disaster?
A – France expresses its deepest concern over the humanitarian, economic and environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine, for which Russia is wholly responsible.
Since the start of its aggression against Ukraine, Russia has deliberately and massively targeted civilian infrastructure, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
France condemns the violence that Russia has committed against civilians, as well as the Russian bombing of Ukrainian port and waterway infrastructure.
As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna has repeatedly emphasized, these unacceptable acts are war crimes and cannot go unpunished.
Originally published at https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/ukraine/news/article/q-a-ukraine-07-08-23
