France condemns Russian strike on Dnipro with intermediate-range ballistic missile

French officials have condemned a Russian missile attack on Dnipro with an intermediate-range ballistic missile, according to Le Monde.

On 21 November, Russia struck Dnipro with a Multiple Independently-Targetable Reentry Vehicle missile with conventional warheads. Ukraine identified the weapon as an intermediate-range ballistic missile launched from a Kedr missile system. Russia has never used such a weapon against Ukraine before. An investigation of the attack and assessment of the damage is ongoing.

A representative of the French Foreign Ministry told Le Mond journalists that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s threats against European countries and NATO member states are unacceptable. They confirm Russia’s escalatory stance.

“On Tuesday, the Ukraine-NATO Council will hold a meeting where the alliance members can raise this issue. In this situation, only one aggressor is Russia, and only one victim is Ukraine,” said the French representative.

Earlier, Putin linked the attack to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, which are now being carried out with Western-supplied weapons. He also threatened to target military facilities in other countries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, commenting on the ballistic missile attack, said that Putin has once again chosen escalation, “spitting in the face” of those seeking a peaceful resolution to the war.

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