Ukraine – New Russian airstrikes (28 April 2023)

France condemns last night’s Russian air strikes against the Ukrainian regions of Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv in the strongest possible terms.

These strikes once again deliberately targeted residential buildings and killed civilians, including children – especially in Uman where initial reports point to a particularly heavy death toll. This targeting of civilian infrastructures and populations underscores Russia’s clear desire to continue escalating its war of aggression in Ukraine.

As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna has stressed repeatedly, these unacceptable actions are war crimes and cannot go unpunished. France will continue to provide support to Ukrainian courts and to the International Criminal Court to combat impunity for such crimes. It will also continue its military and civilian support in order to bolster Ukrainian resilience for as long as necessary.