@HistoPol
A large part of that expanding influence has been because of Russia's solidarity with the colonized, though. France still controls the financial sector of its former colonies, a primary factor of Niger's recent coup.
So, that strike may make short term strategic sense, but it's only pulling the mask off the Nazis that occupy Ukraine's military. I doubt it helps long-term.
Again, commerce isn't war. This is an act of aggression, and, thus, a war crime.