France condemns the Russian strikes that targeted villages near Lyman, killing at least three civilians and injuring at least two people.
These latest attacks on residential areas illustrate yet again Russia’s utter contempt for the lives of civilians and international humanitarian law, which it has flagrantly and repeatedly violated since the beginning of its aggression against Ukraine.
Last night Russia also targeted grain infrastructure in the Odesa region. It is thereby continuing its blackmail of global food security, marked by the systematic destruction of transit and storage facilities in Ukraine, obstacles to grain imports, and the suspension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which had allowed the shipment of 33 million tons of grain to 45 countries, particularly the most vulnerable countries in Asia and Africa.
As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna has repeatedly emphasized, these acts are war crimes and will not go unpunished. France is maintaining – and will continue to maintain – its support for Ukraine for as long as it takes to help that country ensure its legitimate defense, strengthen its resilience and combat impunity for atrocities committed by Russia.
Originally published at https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/ukraine/news/article/ukraine-condemnation-of-russian-strikes-23-aug-2023
