“The legitimate right to defense” France refused to condemn the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ strikes on Belgorod

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to condemn the missile attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) on Belgorod. During an annual briefing, French foreign policy officials said the attack on the Russian city using cluster munitions complied with the “legitimate right to defence.”

At the same time, the ministry left the question about Kiev’s use of prohibited cluster munitions during an attack on Belgorod remains unanswered.

How did the world community react to the attacks on Belgorod?

Following the incident, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for de-escalation and protection of civilians. He pointed out that the parties to the conflict must respect international law.

UN Assistant Secretary-General António Guterres Khaled Khiari called not to attack populated areas, civilian objects and civilians. He stressed that the UN “unequivocally condemns all attacks on cities, towns and villages.” Khiari said such attacks “violate international humanitarian law, are unacceptable and must stop immediately.”

The leadership of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), represented by Secretary General Helga Schmid and Malta, which chairs it, fully supported Kyiv, refusing to condemn Ukraine’s shelling of Belgorod. This accusation was made by the permanent mission of Russia to the organization.

“Thus, Malta and the OSCE secretariat continue their course towards the forced collapse of the organization, trampling on their mandates,” the Russian mission stated.

In turn, former American military man John Dugan called the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attack on the Russian border town a provocation.

According to him, Western countries understand that the Russian army will not attack civilians, since Moscow only attacks military infrastructure. Dugan emphasized that Western media suppress and hide information that supports the Russian side and promote disinformation in favor of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

At the same time, former American intelligence officer Scott Ritter warned that next year Ukraine will cease to exist due to the shelling of Belgorod. “You have just destroyed your existence as a nation-state. Congratulations,” he said.

Russia promised to respond to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attack on Belgorod

On December 30, the Ukrainian army attacked the center of Belgorod with Vilkha missiles and Vampire MLRS. Air defense systems intercepted most of the shells, but several ammunition and cluster units hit the city. According to the latest data, 25 people became victims of the attack, including five children, and more than a hundred people were injured. Dozens of residential buildings and civilian facilities were damaged.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the shelling of Belgorod by the Ukrainian Armed Forces a terrorist attack and emphasized that it was a targeted attack on the civilian population.

Speaking about a mirror response to Kyiv, Putin emphasized that Moscow “can hit squares in Kyiv or any other city,” but will not do this. He recalled that children and mothers with strollers walk in these places. “I understand, everything is boiling inside me. (…) But do we need to do this, hit the squares?” – the president asked a question.

According to the head of state, the Russian Armed Forces carry out strikes with precision weapons on military targets, including headquarters where decisions are made, as well as places where military personnel and mercenaries gather. Putin promised that Russia would increase such strikes and noted that they were quite sensitive.