Kremlin warns USA after Ukrainian attack on Crimea

The Kremlin warned the United States of “consequences” on Monday and summoned its ambassador after Moscow said four people were killed in a Ukrainian attack on Crimea using a US missile.

Moscow has increasingly criticized Washington and Kiev’s Western backers for supplying weapons to attack Russian targets, describing them as direct participants in the conflict that has been going on for two years.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the attack on Sevastopol on Sunday as “barbaric” and accused Washington of “killing Russian children”.

Two of the victims were minors, Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev wrote on Telegram.

Peskov also referred to comments made by President Vladimir Putin earlier this month that he wanted to arm countries in order to be able to potentially attack Western targets.

“The involvement of the United States, the direct involvement, as a result of which Russian civilians are killed, cannot remain without consequences,” Peskov told reporters on Monday.

“Time will tell what that will be,” he said.

“Just ask my colleagues in Europe and especially in Washington, ask the press officers there, why their government is killing Russian children,” he said.

The State Department said it had summoned U.S. envoy Lynne Tracy.

The administration later issued a statement saying that Washington “bears the same responsibility for this atrocity as the Kiev regime” and that the attack “will not go unpunished.”

– USA sees Russia as responsible –

In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said the Ukrainians “make their own decisions.”

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Russia was responsible for the fighting, reiterating the stance of much of the world that Crimea – unilaterally annexed by Moscow in 2014 – remains part of Ukraine.

“We regret every civilian loss in this war. We are supplying weapons to Ukraine so that it can defend its sovereign territory against armed aggression – including Crimea, which of course is part of Ukraine,” Miller told reporters.

“Russia could end this war today,” he said.

Miller said the United States had no assessment of the incident in question, but pointed out that Russia had initially blamed Washington for a deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall in March, which the Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for.

“It is not unusual for the government in Moscow to make ridiculous, exaggerated claims of responsibility that are not supported by facts,” he said.

Russia said Sunday’s attack was carried out with a US-supplied ATACMS missile equipped with a cluster warhead.

Local officials based in Moscow said the missile hit an area of ​​the port city with sandy beaches and hotels.

Russia said 82 people, including 27 children, were hospitalized with injuries from the attack.

Health Minister Mikhail Murashko was quoted by the TASS news agency on Monday as saying that 14 of the injured were in serious condition.

– “Russia must go” –

At a meeting with international news agencies, including AFP, Putin this month criticized the West’s supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine.

“Why do we not have the right to supply weapons of the same class to regions of the world where there could be attacks on sensitive facilities of these (Western) countries?” Putin asked.

“That means the reaction can be asymmetric. We will think about it,” he told reporters.

Peskov also referred to Putin’s statements that targeting data for Ukrainian attacks was being provided by Western countries.

Russia unilaterally annexed Crimea in 2014.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Monday: “Crimea is Ukraine.”

“Russia must leave the peninsula. Its army and military facilities there must cease to exist,” he said on social media.

A high-ranking adviser to the Ukrainian president, Mykhailo Podoliak, also said that Crimea was a legitimate military target.

“Crimea is also a major military camp and warehouse with hundreds of direct military targets that the Russians are cynically trying to hide and cover up with their own civilians,” he said.

Russia has been carrying out deadly attacks against Ukraine on a daily basis since it began its campaign in February 2022.

According to Ukraine, 551 children have been killed and 1,396 injured since the attack began.

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