Russia vows military and legal response against US, holds it responsible for Kyiv attack

The photo shows houses destroyed by a reported overnight Russian missile attack in the Kyiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by HANDOUT / State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP)

ALBAWABA - After a Ukrainian missile strike on the seized Crimean Peninsula on Sunday left five people dead and almost a hundred wounded, Russia blamed the US for the attack. The strike made use of "ATACMS" missiles that Washington had supplied to Kiev.

"The responsibility for the intentional missile strike on civilians in Sevastopol lies primarily with Washington, which provided Ukraine with these weapons," the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Kyiv authorities said in a statement. And a warning was issued by the ministry: "Such actions will not go unpunished."

The Russian military claims that four of the five "ATACMS" missiles launched by Ukrainian troops were "intercepted."

The missile activities were "managed by American specialists using data from U.S. satellite intelligence," the ministry said to support its accusations.

Washington acknowledged in April that it had sent "ATACMS" missiles to Ukraine in response to Kyiv's repeated demands for the capacity to strike far-off targets from the front lines.