According to Russian officials, the U.S. is to blame for Sunday’s tragic Ukrainian offensive on the Crimean Peninsula.
About 150 people were hurt and at least four individuals—including two children—died when falling debris from missiles shot down by air defense systems struck them.
Four Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles that the United States gave to Ukraine were alleged to include cluster warheads, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. According to the ministry, air defense systems shot down four of the missiles, and a fifth exploded midair.
According to Reuters, footage of the disaster was shown on Russian state television. It showed people being carried off on sun loungers and rushing from a beach.
Russia-installed authorities in Crimea said that missile fragments had dropped close to a beach in Sevastopol shortly after midday.
The defense ministry pointed the accusation at Washington officials, accusing American specialists of putting up the missiles’ flight coordinates using data obtained from American surveillance satellites.
“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,” the ministry stated, according to Reuters.
Russia views the Crimean Peninsula as its own territory, having annexed it in 2014.
The governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, who was appointed by Moscow, reported that 151 persons were injured in the incident.
The Russian state-run news outlet Ria Novosti said that 82 of the 151 individuals—55 adults and 27 children—were admitted to hospitals.
Read Also: Missile Fragments in Crimea: 4 Dead, Dozens Injured
Monday saw the cancellation of all public events in Sevastopol following Razvozhayev’s declaration of a day of mourning.
The United States began arming Ukraine with ATACMS missiles earlier this year, enabling the nation to strike targets at a distance of 186 miles.
