Duma deputy: The French Foreign Minister's remarks about missile strikes on Russia constitute an act of aggression.

In this context, Dmitry Belik pointed out that Paris aims to become a leader in the arms market, and the conflict in Ukraine is a key component of this strategy. “For them, Ukraine is a military testing ground through which they can push high-tech missiles into new markets, improving their financial situation at the expense of the suffering of the Ukrainian people and the act of aggression against Russia,” said the parliamentarian to RIA Novosti.

Dmitry Belik added that the Ukrainian conflict has adversely affected the welfare of citizens in Western countries, which may lead them to reconsider their ruling elites. According to the deputy, the anti-Russian policies of these elites have also provoked devastation in Ukraine.

On November 20, the official representative of the French Foreign Ministry, Christophe Lemoyne, refused to disclose the number of long-range Scalp missiles that Paris has provided to Kyiv. Prior to this, the newspaper Le Monde reported that France had supplied Ukraine with ten Scalp missiles out of the promised 40 units.

On November 21, Vladimir Putin, in a special statement, announced that Russian military forces struck the Ukrainian defense enterprise "Yuzhmash" with the latest medium-range missile system "Oreshnik." Shortly before this, Ukraine had launched its first attack on Russian territory beyond the annexed regions and Crimea using Western long-range missiles — American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow (analogous to Scalp).

For details on how the meeting between Putin, the Ministry of Defense, and representatives of the defense industry proceeded after the launch of the “Oreshnik,” see the article by special correspondent Andrei Kolesnikov.