Russia-installed authorities of Sevastopol in Ukraine’s southern region of Crimea say a Ukrainian missile strike on the port city has left four people dead and 144 others wounded. Russia claims to have annexed Crimea in 2014.
The Russian defense ministry says in a statement that the attack shortly after midday on Sunday involved five ATACMS missiles supplied by the United States to Ukraine.
The ministry says Russian air defense units intercepted four of the missiles equipped with cluster warheads but the fifth one exploded in mid-air.
The ministry says Washington is mostly responsible for the deliberate missile strike as it delivered the weapons to Ukraine. It adds that Ukraine is also to blame as the attack was launched from its territory.
The Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, is reportedly capable of precision strikes. US media outlets report that missiles launched by the system have a range of about 300 kilometers.