The Republic of China (Taiwan) government on Tuesday condemned Russia’s latest missile strikes across Ukraine that killed civilians and destroyed targets with no apparent military purpose, saying that the act of aggression can be classified as war crimes.
Moscow’s deadly missile strikes against Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on Monday constituted grave violations of the United Nations Charter and could be classified as war crimes under the Rome Statute for being directed against civilians, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安).
This latest “brutal and inhuman” assault on Ukraine once again demonstrates the Russian authoritarian regime’s “illegal military expansion” into another country’s territory and the “evil nature of its human rights violations,” Ou said.
Taiwan offers its condolences to people in Ukraine who lost family members due to the senseless missile strikes, she said.
Ou reiterated Taiwan’s stance in standing in solidarity with democratic partners to jointly oppose Moscow’s invasion of Kyiv, while calling on Russia to resolve its dispute with Ukraine via peaceful dialogue instead.
“As a member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to coordinate closely with other like-minded countries to adopt appropriate measures in order to free Ukraine from the horrors of war, as well as restore, at the earliest time, peace and stability to the region and the world,” she added.
Meanwhile, in a Twitter post, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said Russia’s bombardment of Ukrainian residential areas with missiles was “utterly unacceptable.”
“We strongly condemn the cowardly act of killing innocent civilians. #Taiwan partners with fellow democracies to #StandWithUkraine,” he tweeted.
Monday’s missile strikes on cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, marked an escalation in the almost eight-month-long Russian invasion of Ukraine since late February, as it was the first time Kyiv has been targeted in months.
The Ukrainian government said 14 people had been killed across the country, with several regions left without electricity and water supply also being affected.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday’s widespread Russian strikes on Ukraine were retaliation for Saturday’s attack on a key bridge that served as the only link between Russia and occupied Crimea.
He blamed the bridge’s explosion on Ukraine, and threatened more strikes in response to what he called “terrorist attacks.”

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel