Russia said that the US was responsible for a Ukrainian attack on Crimea. It claimed that five US-supplied missiles killed four people, including two children, and injured 151 more.
The Russian Defence Ministry said four of the US-delivered Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, equipped with cluster warheads, were shot down by air defence systems. The ammunition of a fifth had detonated in mid-air.
Russia says it will respond to the attack
Russian authorities in Crimea said missile fragments had fallen just after noon near a beach on the north side of the city of Sevastopol. Locals were on holiday here.
Footage on Russian state television showed people running from a beach.
The incident generated a furious reaction among public figures in Russia.
The Defence Ministry said US specialists had set the missiles’ flight coordinates on the basis of information from US spy satellites. This meant that Washington was directly responsible.
“Responsibility for the deliberate missile attack on the civilians of Sevastopol is borne above all by Washington, which supplied these weapons to Ukraine, and by the Kyiv regime, from whose territory this strike was carried out.”
Neither Ukraine not US has responded to the attack
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and now views the Black Sea peninsula it as an integral part of its territory. The West however considers it still part of Ukraine.
Russian-installed Sevastopol Governor Mihail Razvozhaev put the death toll at four, with 144 injured. TTwenty-seven children were among the injured.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said it would respond to the attack. The Kremlin said Putin had been “in constant contact with the military” since the attack.
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council and a leading voice among Russian hawks, described the incident as “a vile, despicable act against our people.”
He said there was “no difference to us” between the US administration, Ukrainian leaders and “crazy fanatics.”
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a prominent supporter of the invasion, said there “was no justification whatsoever for a missile strike on civilians.” He expressed indignation that the incident occurred on the Orthodox holiday of Trinity.
Neither Ukraine nor the US has commented on the attack.
Putin says US using Ukraine against Russia
Putin has repeatedly accused the U.S. of using Ukraine to undermine Russia’s own security. He has warned of growing risks of a direct confrontation between Moscow and the U.S.-led NATO alliance.
With inputs from Reuters
