Russia Kremlin threatens US after Ukrainian missile attack

Following a devastating missile attack on the city of Sevastopol on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which has been annexed by Russia since 2014, Moscow wants to hold Washington accountable.

"It goes without saying that the direct involvement of the US in combat operations that result in the deaths of Russian civilians cannot be without consequences," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov threatened on Monday. At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the US ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, and handed her a note of protest.

The sharp rhetoric was triggered by a Ukrainian missile attack around midday on Sunday. According to Russian reports, Kiev fired five US ATACMS missiles. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow initially stated that four missiles had been fired and that the fifth had at least been deflected by its own air defence system and brought down over a beach.

However, after the high number of casualties became known, the military changed its account. According to this, the Ukrainians aimed the missile exactly where it exploded, causing many civilian casualties.

A city beach in the north of Sevastopol, which has been home to the Russian Black Sea Fleet for 240 years, was hit. According to the latest information, 4 people were killed and more than 150 injured in the attack. Around 80 injured people are still in hospital. Around 20 of them are to be flown to Moscow due to the severity of their injuries. Many children are among the victims.

Kremlin spokesman Peskov spoke of a "barbaric attack". Moscow knew exactly who was behind it, he said. Kiev was to blame, but it was not the Ukrainians who were controlling such technically complicated missiles. Rather, American military advisors were operating them. The Russian Foreign Ministry made a similar argument when US Ambassador Tracy was summoned. The US bears the same responsibility as Ukraine, it said.

In the fall of 2023, the US government began delivering the ATACMS missiles that Ukraine had been requesting for some time. The USA also relaxed the long-standing unofficial ban on the use of its weapons against Russian territory. However, this change has no impact on Crimea, as the Russian-controlled peninsula is part of Ukraine under international law. Kiev was therefore already able to fight military targets there with Western weapons.

Moscow used the reports of the many civilian casualties to reinforce its narrative of an inhumane West and an allegedly fascist leadership in Ukraine, especially for its own citizens. From the Russian perspective, the comment by Mychajlo Podoljak, an advisor in the Ukrainian president's office, seemed like a confirmation: the confidant of President Volodymyr Selensky described the victims in general terms as "civilian occupiers" and Crimea, which is popular with tourists, as a military base.

Ukraine has long complained that Russia is also waging its war of aggression through Crimea. The headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet was severely damaged in a missile attack in the fall. In addition, the Belbek military airfield is located in the immediate vicinity of the beach and has continued to be used in the war of aggression that has been going on for more than two years. This is one of the reasons why Ukraine has been targeting Crimea itself, especially in recent months. Selensky has also declared his intention to liberate the peninsula from Russian occupation.

Kiev has mainly targeted air defense objects with its attacks, although the destruction of numerous other military objects has also been reported. Moscow has recently suffered numerous setbacks thanks to the new Western weapons. According to experts in Moscow, this is another reason why the media response to the many victims is likely to be great. However, the consequences of the Kiev attacks on Russian-controlled territory are disproportionate to the high number of victims and severe destruction in Ukraine.

Peskov did not say what concrete consequences the missile attack on Sevastopol would have for the USA. Only time will tell, he said. The 56-year-old referred to statements made by President Vladimir Putin during his trip to Asia last week. There, the Kremlin leader had once again threatened to respond to Western arms deliveries to Ukraine with the transfer of Russian weapons and technology to forces hostile to the West.

Putin made the statement against the backdrop of his trip to North Korea, where ruler Kim Jong Un is developing nuclear weapons. Western states already suspect Moscow of passing on technology to Pyongyang despite sanctions - in exchange for artillery ammunition and missiles, which it is using for destruction in its war of aggression against Ukraine.