Ukraine – France condemns further Russian strikes in southern Ukraine (13 August 2023)

France utterly condemns further Russian strikes which today targeted the Kherson region, in southern Ukraine. This new wave of strikes killed at least seven civilians, including a child and a baby in the village of Shyroka Balka.

These new attacks on civilians once again illustrate Russia’s complete contempt for all principles of international humanitarian law, which it flagrantly and repeatedly violates. This violence does not spare children: according to the Ukrainian Public Prosecutor’s Office, several hundred children have been killed since Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine.

As Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, has repeatedly emphasized, these unacceptable acts constitute war crimes and cannot go unpunished. In close coordination with its partners, France will continue to provide military support for Ukraine to bolster Ukraine’s air defences, as well as support for Ukrainian courts and the International Criminal Court to combat impunity for such crimes.