Russia has accused the United States of being responsible for a deadly Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Peninsula on Sunday.
At least four people were killed, including two children, and about 150 were injured after they were hit by falling debris from missiles that were shot down by air defense systems.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that four Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, supplied by the U.S. to Ukraine, were equipped with cluster warheads. The ministry reported that these missiles were intercepted by air defense systems, while a fifth missile was detonated in mid-air.
Reuters reported that Russian state television broadcast footage of the incident, which showed people fleeing a beach and others being carried away on sun loungers.
Authorities in Crimea, installed by Russia, said fragments from the missiles landed near a beach in Sevastopol just after noon.
The defense ministry blamed U.S. specialists for setting the flight coordinates for the missiles based on information obtained from U.S. spy satellites, directly accusing Washington officials for being accountable.
“Responsibility for the deliberate missile attack on the civilians of Sevastopol is borne above all by Washington, which supplied these and by the Kyiv regime, from whose territory this strike was carried out,” the ministry said, according to Reuters.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and considers the peninsula its own territory.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-appointed governor of the city of Sevastopol, stated that 151 people were injured in the incident.
Ria Novosti, a Russian state-owned news agency, reported that 82 of the 151 people were hospitalized, including 55 adults and 27 children.
Digital reached out for a statement on Russia’s claims.
All public events in Sevastopol were canceled on Monday after Razvozhayev declared a day of mourning.
Earlier this year, the U.S. began supplying Ukraine with ATACMS missiles, granting the country the ability to strike targets within a 186-mile range.
Reuters contributed to this report.