In response to a lethal strike on the Crimean Peninsula that resulted in four deaths and over 100 injuries, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared that Washington had effectively become a participant in the war, and Moscow would “certainly” retaliate. The Kremlin alleges that American missiles were utilized in the attack.
On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the US ambassador to voice their outrage over Sunday’s attack on Crimea. According to the Kremlin, American ATACMS missiles were employed, Washington provided Kiev with intelligence to coordinate the assault, and a US drone was operating near Sevastopol during the strike on civilian targets.
A statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that the US “has effectively become a party” to the conflict on Ukraine’s side, adding, “Retaliatory measures will certainly follow.”
The Kremlin reported that the deadly assault involved five ATACMS, with the defense ministry noting that four were shot down, while a fifth exploded over a civilian area. Russia labeled the missile barrage a “terrorist” attack on “one of the most important Orthodox holidays, the Day of the Holy Trinity.”
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the ATACMS used were cluster bombs, which contain submunitions designed to scatter over a large area. The US has banned the export of most cluster weapons due to their deadly impact on civilians. President Joe Biden may have violated this law by supplying these weapons to Ukraine.
Last year, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry released a video warning Russian civilians on vacation in Crimea, showing civilians fleeing explosions and advising the Russian audience, “We warned you last summer to stay away from Crimea.”
The peninsula was annexed by Moscow in 2014, but Kiev and Washington insist that the Kremlin must return control to Ukraine to end the war. In a recent ceasefire offer to Kiev, Russian President Putin stipulated that Ukraine must recognize Russia’s claim over the territory.
Russia also faced another significant attack on Sunday in the southern Dagestan Republic, where at least 19 people were killed and 25 injured in coordinated assaults at various places of worship. While no group immediately claimed responsibility, law enforcement agencies suggested that the attack was carried out by “adherents of an international terrorist organization.”
