France on Sunday condemned “in the strongest terms” the new Russian strikes which targeted the region of Kherson, in the south of Ukraine, causing the death of at least seven civilians, including a 12-year-old child and a infant.
“These new attacks on civilian populations once again illustrate Russia’s complete disregard for all the principles of international humanitarian law, which it flagrantly and repeatedly violates,” said the spokesperson for the Ministry for Europe. and Foreign Affairs, in a press release.
“This violence does not spare children and according to the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office, several hundred children have been killed since Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine,” she notes.
500 children have been killed and nearly 1,100 injured since the start of the Russian invasion
The spokesperson recalls that for Minister Catherine Colonna, “these unacceptable acts constitute war crimes and cannot go unpunished” and that France, in close coordination with its partners, (…) will continue to provide support Ukrainian courts and the International Criminal Court in order to fight against impunity for such crimes”.
Kherson is one of four regions of Ukraine which Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed for annexation in September 2022. It remains partially under Ukrainian control but is however regularly the target of Russian bombardments.
According to the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office, 500 children have been killed and nearly 1,100 injured since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.