MOSCOW: Russia said on Sunday that the United States was “directly responsible” for an attack carried out from Ukra­inian territory with five missiles that killed at least five people, including three children, and injured 124 more in Crimea.

The Russian defence ministry said US specialists had set the missiles’ flight coordinates on the basis of information from US spy satellites, meaning Washington was directly responsible.

Four of the US-delivered Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, equipped with cluster warheads, were shot down by air defence systems and the ammunition of a fifth had detonated in mid-air, it added.

The ministry said four missiles were downed but a fifth changed trajectory after being intercepted “with its warhead exploding in the air over the city”.

“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 said.

Russian-installed auth­o­rities in Crimea said missile fragments had fallen just after noon near a beach on the north side of Sevastopol city where locals were holidaying.

At least 124 were inju­red, Russian Health Mini­ster Mikhail Mura­shko said. The injured included 27 children, five of whom are in a serious condition, authorities said.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2024