Russia recalls US ambassador over Crimea attack, 'steps to be taken'
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Russia summons Ambassador Lynne Tracy in a sign of disapproval, adding that the attack will not go unpunished.
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A view shows bloodied sun loungers following a Ukrainian missile attack amid Russia's military operation in Ukraine, in Sevastopol, Republic of Crimea, Russia, June 23, 2024. (Sputnik)
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it had called US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy to convey disapproval of Kiev's missile assault on Sevastopol.
Using US-made ATACMS missiles with cluster warheads, the Ukrainian armed forces assaulted Sevastopol on Sunday. The Ministry reported that four missiles were downed while a fifth reversed course after being intercepted "with its warhead exploding in the air over the city."
In a statement, the ministry said, "During a conversation at the Russian Foreign Ministry on June 24 with the summoned head of the US diplomatic mission in Russia, Lynne Tracy, a demarche was made in connection with the new bloody crime of the Kiev regime, sponsored and armed by Washington, which launched a targeted missile attack on the civilian population of Sevastopol, accompanied by numerous casualties, including children."
The ministry added that the US' encouragement of the pro-Nazi leadership in Ukraine to launch a military campaign would not go unpunished and that a response would be taken.
5 people, including 3 children, killed and 124 civilians were injured as a result of the Ukrainian Armed Forces attack on Sevastopol.
— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) June 23, 2024
Russian MOD: Today at 12.15, a terrorist missile strike by five U.S.-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles equipped by cluster warheads was… pic.twitter.com/d7Jali9gzv
According to the statement, the US and Kiev share equal blame for the missile strike that targeted Sevastopol's civilian population.
The big picture
"The responsibility for a deliberate missile strike on peaceful residents of Sevastopol is primarily carried by Washington, which supplied this weaponry to Ukraine," the ministry stated on Telegram, adding that Ukraine utilized ATACMS missiles.
A Ukrainian missile assault on Crimea killed five people, including two children, and injured over 119, according to officials. Fragments struck beachgoers in Sevastopol after at least one missile was intercepted by air defenses and detonated in the sky.
🇷🇺 In Sevastopol, people bring flowers to the fountain in Komsomolsky Park to honor the memory of those killed due to the APU strike.
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) June 23, 2024
Ukraine struck a Crimean beach earlier today. Using USA-provided ATACMS, they murdered 2 children. pic.twitter.com/Te9D8AYtX1
A Russian Health Ministry spokesperson informed the RIA Novosti news agency that 124 people were hurt, including 27 children.
Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev also reported that shrapnel struck coastal regions and set fire to a home and forest.
Social media videos show people fleeing the beach after the blasts, with some carrying stretchers.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
