Russia is once again targeting civilian infrastructure [fr]

UKRAINE - HUMANITARIAN AID

STATEMENT BY MR NICOLAS DE RIVIERE,
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF FRANCE TO THE UNITED NATIONS

TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL

New York, October 31, 2023

Mr. President,

I would like to thank Mr. Rajasingham for his briefing.

The toll of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continue to worsen. Just last Wednesday, as Russia carried out an attack in western Ukraine, in the Khmelnytskyï region, its strikes destroyed dozens of homes, dozens of schools and other civilian infrastructure.

As winter approaches, Russia is once again targeting civilian infrastructure. Intentionally targeting civilians who are not directly taking part in hostilities is a war crime. Already in 2022, Russian troops launched waves of air attacks, deliberately targeting energy infrastructure. As a result of this past destruction, populations are now even more vulnerable.

Last Friday, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry denounced these indiscriminate attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure, and their consequences for the population.

Nearly 17 million people on Ukrainian territory need humanitarian assistance. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression, the hostilities have killed and injured thousands of civilians, forced millions to leave their homes, destroyed jobs and livelihoods, and left many people in hardship.

Russian aggression has already killed at least 23,000 civilians, including more than a thousand children. This number represents only a fraction of the real toll, as the verification process has encountered immense challenges, including the impossibility of gaining access to areas under Russian military control.

We urge Russia to comply with international humanitarian law, by allowing humanitarian actors access to civilian populations in the territories it occupies.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has also had negative consequences for the rest of the world, for which Russia bears sole responsibility. Its unilateral decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and its deliberate attacks on Ukrainian grain storage and export facilities show that Russia is continuing to instrumentalize food as a weapon of war, causing a global crisis in the sector.

France remains committed to enabling the export of Ukrainian agricultural products, together with its European partners, through the implementation of "solidarity lanes" which have enabled at least 53 million tonnes of grain and other food products to be exported by river and land. We support the efforts of the United Nations to re-establish a secure Black Sea export corridor for vulnerable countries.

Russia cannot rely on our fatigue. Next month’s London Conference on food security will be another opportunity to demonstrate this.

In the face of this aggression, France will continue to stand by Ukraine, providing it with all the humanitarian, economic and military support it needs to exercise its right to legitimate defense and preserve its liberty.

Thank you.