Russia has said that the US bears “primary responsibility” for what it claimed was a deliberate Ukrainian missile strike against civilians in the Russian-occupied city of Sevastopol.
Five people were killed – including two children – in the incident, as Russian air defences attempted to intercept long-range US-made Atacms missiles, Russian officials and Moscow’s ministry of defence said.
The Russian defence ministry said that the missiles hit by its air defence systems were armed with cluster munition warheads. Ukrainian officials have not commented.
Footage posted on social media showed missile fragments hitting beach areas in the north of the city, spraying sunbathing tourists with shrapnel.
There is no evidence Ukraine deliberately targeted the beach, which lies about ten minutes from a military airfield. However, daytime missile strikes by Ukraine are rare.
The Russian defence ministry said: “All flight missions for American ATACMS operational-tactical missiles are entered by American specialists based on their own US satellite intelligence data.
“Therefore, responsibility for the deliberate missile strike on civilians in Sevastopol lies primarily with Washington, which supplied these weapons to Ukraine, as well as the Kiev regime, from whose territory this strike was launched.
“Such actions will not go unanswered.”
The US has previously said that Ukraine can only use long-range missiles to strike targets deeper inside Russia if it is acting in self-defence.
Russian media said that the Uchkuyevka and Lyubimovka beaches were hit during the incident. The two seafronts are roughly five miles from a major Russian air base.