France utterly condemns recent Russian strikes on Ukraine

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – France on Tuesday condemned recent Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine.

"France utterly condemns the massive wave of Russian missile and drone strikes against Ukraine that left at least 4 dead and 92 injured in the city and region of Kyiv and in the city of Kharkiv," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Russia, it said, launched nearly 100 missiles and dozens of drones across Ukraine and continues to destroy Ukraine's civilian infrastructure "in order to weaken the resilience of the Ukrainian people."

"Russia alone bears responsibility for this escalation, which has no justification whatsoever and which primarily affects civilians," it noted.

The Foreign Ministry reiterated that France will continue to work closely with its partners to bolster Ukrainian resilience and to provide Ukraine with the support it needs.

"France will also continue its support for the Ukrainian courts and the International Criminal Court to combat impunity for crimes committed by Russia," added the statement.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have exchanged accusations over airstrikes against each other that intensified since Friday when at least 40 people were killed in various regions of Ukraine in a massive air attack, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as the "heaviest attack" since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

A day later, 24 people were killed and at least 100 were injured following a Ukrainian attack on the city of Belgorod, which Russian President Vladimir Putin went on to describe as a “terrorist attack” that “will not go unpunished."