The US blames Russia for the missile attack in Sevastopol, Crimea, which killed four people, including two children. Another 150 were injured when fragments of the missile landed on a nearby beach.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that the missiles used by Ukraine were ATACMS, which Kiev acquired from the USA. Moscow even claims that American experts programmed the missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the attack “barbaric”, accusing the US of killing children and saying there would be “repercussions”.
Footage broadcast on Russian state television showed chaos on the beach in the Uchkuyevka area, with people running to escape the rubble and injured people being carried away on sun loungers.
“ATACMS cannot be used without direct American involvement”
The Russian Defense Ministry has stated since Sunday that all ATACMS missiles are programmed by American experts and guided by American satellites. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov repeated the assertion during a meeting in Minsk on Monday, saying the system “cannot be used without the direct involvement of the US military, including satellite capabilities.”
The US has been supplying Ukraine with ATACMS missiles for over a year. The system allows Ukrainian forces to strike targets up to 300 kilometers away, according to Lockheed Martin.
What the US says about the attack
Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014 and only a few countries recognize the peninsula as Russian territory. For Washington, Crimea is Ukrainian territory and therefore Kiev can use American weapons to strike targets there.
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told the BBC: “Ukraine makes its own targeting decisions and conducts its own military operations.”
However, Peskov told reporters in Moscow that “United States involvement, direct involvement, as a result of the death of Russian civilians, cannot remain without consequences.” “Time will tell what they will be,” he added, effectively announcing retaliation.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also summoned US Ambassador Lynne Tracy, with Lavrov saying US involvement in the attack was “not in doubt”.
Moscow has repeatedly threatened to attack countries that supply weapons to Ukraine, arguing that they are legitimate military targets.