On Monday, Russia warned of “consequences” for the US, alleging its involvement in lethal strikes on Russian-controlled Crimea using American-made missiles.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, as reported by Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti, stated that “time would tell” what the response would be to the alleged use of five Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, donated by the US to Ukraine.
Peskov asserted, “Of course, the direct involvement of the United States of America in hostilities, resulting in the death of Russian civilians, will undoubtedly have consequences. What exactly – time will tell.”
Since February 2022, Ukraine has been resisting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion, aided by Western weaponry.
Russia’s defense ministry claims to have intercepted four of the missiles. However, fragments of a fifth missile exploded mid-air after being hit by air defenses, leading to four fatalities and injuring 151 people on the ground, according to RIA Novosti.
Earlier this year, the US agreed to supply long-range ATACMS missiles, with a 300-kilometer range, to Ukraine. In May, the White House also permitted Kyiv to use donated weaponry to target locations inside Russia and in territories claimed by Moscow.
On Monday, Russia’s state-owned media outlet TASS reported that the Kremlin had summoned US Ambassador to Moscow Lynn Tracy to the foreign ministry in response to the Crimea attack.
Social media footage from Sunday showed beachgoers in the Crimea region rushing to safety. Meanwhile, Russia continues its assaults on Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, causing numerous civilian casualties.
In a separate incident on Sunday, Ukrainian forces targeted a military radar station in Crimea used for deep space monitoring and handling satellite data, according to open-source intelligence accounts.
