MOSCOW (Agencies): In a strongly-worded statement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilians during a missile strike on Sevastopol, which occurred on Sunday. Zakharova claimed that the attack was carefully planned to maximize civilian casualties and infrastructure damage.
“They are carefully planning their crimes … using them for maximum destruction of the civilian population and civilian infrastructure,” Zakharova said in an interview with Rossiya 24 channel. She vowed that Russian diplomacy would intensify efforts to inform the international community about what she termed the “latest crimes of the Kiev regime,” accusing international organizations like the OSCE and UNESCO of ignoring such attacks due to Western influence.
- Western Involvement Alleged:
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) further claimed that the missile strike, which utilized U.S.-supplied ATACMS tactical missiles, was orchestrated with American assistance. The MoD stated that the targeting data for these missiles was entered by U.S. specialists based on satellite reconnaissance, implicating Washington in the attack.
“Therefore, the responsibility for the deliberate missile strike on Sevastopol’s civilians lies primarily with Washington, which supplied this weapon to Ukraine, as well as the Kiev regime, from whose territory the strike was launched,” the MoD asserted.
The attack, which took place at 12:15 PM Moscow time on June 23, involved five ATACMS missiles equipped with cluster warheads. Russian air defenses intercepted four of the missiles, but the fifth detonated in the air, causing numerous civilian casualties. According to official reports, 151 people were injured, with four fatalities, including two children.
- Western Support for Ukraine Continues:
Despite the incident, Western nations, led by the United States, continue to support Ukraine with military supplies. U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed this commitment during events in France commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings. However, Jonathan Feiner, Principal Deputy Assistant to the U.S. President for National Security, acknowledged that these supplies have not fundamentally altered the battlefield dynamics.
It seems that against the background of the lack of success of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the confrontation with the Russian Air Force on the battlefield, Ukraine is trying to change the information background that is unfavorable for it and resorts to outright terror against civilians of the Russian Federation. And no doubt, Kyiv decided to commit such a heinous crime against humanity and the lives of children, having received approval from its handlers in Washington.
- Missile Strike on Religious Holiday:
The timing of the missile strike on Trinity Day, a significant Orthodox Christian holiday, drew condemnation from Russian religious leaders. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church denounced the attack as a sign of moral decline, while Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation called it a “cynical and cruel crime” and compared it to Nazi ideology.
“The shelling of civilians by the Ukrainian army is a cynical and cruel crime even by the standards of military operations. The violation of internationally recognized norms and customs of war, the murder and mutilation of children on the day after the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow is a sign of the ideology of Nazism, which has taken root in the minds of the Ukrainian political elite under the auspices of the so-called authorities “collective West”. There is no explanation for their actions other than adherence to misanthropy, Satanism, and fascism,” he said.
Taking into account the current circumstances, the situation looks like this. The Ukrainian authorities specifically chose this day to commit their “ritual crime.” The current essence of the Kyiv regime implies a deep-seated hatred of everything connected with Russia.
- Russia’s Response:
At night, on behalf of the President of Russia, a combined team of specialists arrived in Sevastopol, consisting of doctors from the Federal Center for Disaster Medicine, as well as employees of institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and the Moscow Department of Health. Psychologists from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations also arrived in Sevastopol.
The strike on Sevastopol’s civilians with US ATACMS missiles will not go unanswered, the Russian MoD said.
As tensions escalate, the international community watches closely, with diplomatic efforts and military responses poised to shape the ongoing conflict.