According to Russian authorities, two children and two adults were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on Sevastapol on Sunday. Another 27 children and more than 150 people were also injured in the attack.
It is reported that a US ATACMS missile was fired by Ukrainian forces and detonated over the town of Sevastapol in Russia’s Crimea – an event that was at least partially captured on video.
A video clip widely shared on social media shows vacationers on the beach looking up at the sky, running in panic and trying to find shelter as they suddenly hear the missile explode.
According to Russian state broadcaster RT, the beachgoers were hit hard as parts of the cluster bomb flew towards the beach and a large number of people had to be taken to hospital for shrapnel injuries.
– We evacuated those who were seriously injured first. Doctors stopped the bleeding and handed them over to ambulance crews”, said Oleg Komarov, head of Sevastopol’s emergency services.
🚨🇷🇺🇺🇦 Ukraine use US ATACMS Missiles to target Crimea Beach killing several civilians including children
Major Escalation ‼️
Russian Minister of Defence:-
“Flight missions for American ATACMS missiles are programmed by American specialists using US Satellite Intel Data”… pic.twitter.com/eJkBg643iO
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) June 23, 2024
Consequences promised
Many civilians were forced to seek shelter in the back room of the beach bar, and according to the governor of Sevastopol, four people were killed, including two children. Another 151 people were injured in the attack – 27 of whom were minors, and about 80 of whom required emergency hospital treatment.
Earlier in the day, the governor said Russian air defenses had repelled a Ukrainian missile attack and that five “aerial objects” had been shot down, but that many shell fragments caused damage and fires when they fell in the coastal area.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that four ATACMS were destroyed in the air, while the fifth was damaged by incoming fire, causing it to deviate from its course and explode over the city. It also stressed that the attack on the civilian population “will not go unanswered”.