Russia Protests US Over ATACMS Missile Attack on Crimea

Russia protested to the U.S. Ambassador Lynn Trace about the Ukrainian attack using ATACMS missiles that took place on Sunday against the Crimean port of Sevastopol, which resulted in the deaths of four civilians and left over 150 people injured.

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“The United States… shares the same responsibility as the Kyiv regime for this wicked act. It is conducting a hybrid war against Russia and has become part of the conflict by supplying the Ukrainian Army with the most modern weaponry, including the ATACMS missiles with cluster bombs used against the Sevastopol population. The choice of targets and the creation of the missile flight missions are carried out by American military specialists,” the Russian Defense Ministry stated.

“These actions by Washington, aimed at encouraging the pro-Nazi authorities of Ukraine to continue military actions until the last Ukrainian, by allowing attacks on Russian territory, will not go unpunished. We will respond without fail,” warned Russian diplomacy.

On Sunday, Ukrainian forces launched five ATACMS missiles against Sevastopol, the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, four of which were shot down by Russian air defenses, but a fifth one veered off course and exploded over a beach crowded with people.

The Russian Defense Ministry immediately blamed Washington for the attack, as it provided Kyiv with the ATACMS missiles launched by the Ukrainian Army and authorized their use against Russian territory.

“The responsibility for this deliberate missile attack against the civilian population of Sevastopol falls primarily on Washington, which supplied these weapons to Ukraine, and also on the Kyiv regime, from whose territory this attack was launched,” it said.

At the end of May, President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to attack targets on Russian territory using weapons provided by the United States, but only if they were military targets in the Russian border area near the northeastern region of Kharkiv. However, the authorization does not extend to long-range missiles such as the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and used in Sevastopol.