Five civilians killed in Ukrainian attack on Sevastopol beach

On Sunday, June 23, a Ukrainian missile attack on a beach near the port city of Sevastopol killed five civilians, including two children, and wounded 151. The attack was carried out using an American-made ATACMS missile.

Following the attack, the Russian Defense Ministry released a statement blaming the United States for the attack. It said: “The responsibility for the targeted missile attack on civilians in Sevastopol lies primarily with Washington, which supplied Ukraine with these weapons.” The statement added: “Such actions will not go unpunished.”

Neither Ukraine nor the United States has released a statement on the attack. However, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry to answer questions about the attack.

The attack is similar to Ukrainian attacks on residential areas in Belgorod, including a recent incident in which a kamikaze drone killed a mother and her toddler in a car.

Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, is currently claimed by both Ukraine and Russia. Russia has controlled the city since 2014. According to the latest census, 90.11 percent of Sevastopol’s residents are ethnically Russian. Before 2014, Russians made up 58 percent of Crimea’s total population, and another 10 percent were Crimean Tatars.