Russia criticizes US for ‘silence’ over Crimea attack

ANI |
Update: June 25, 2024 06:07 STI

Moscow (Russia), June 25 (ANI): Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov criticized the United States for the recent missile attack in Crimea and accused Washington of supporting the “crimes of the regime of kyiv.”
He said the crimes were “deliberately committed” when the maximum number of people were concentrated, adding that the attackers did not even spare women and children.
“The (American) administration clearly supports the crimes of the Kiev regime. It has sided with international terrorism,” the Russian envoy said Monday during a press briefing, when asked about the American “silence” about this question.
“Nothing justifies the bloody acts of the Ukrainian armed forces. The crimes were committed deliberately when the maximum number of Russians were concentrated on the shore. The bandits did not even hesitate to kill women and children at a party Christian woman revered by all,” he added.
It comes after at least five people were killed and more than 100 injured after missile fragments were scattered over beachgoers during a Ukrainian strike on the town of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea, CNN reported citing authorities.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a post on Telegram that Ukraine carried out the attack using “operational and tactical ATACMS missiles supplied by the United States and equipped with fragmentation warheads.”
Anatoly Antonov further criticized the United States for supplying weapons to Ukraine, saying this “testifies to the desire” of local authorities.

“Americans cannot stay abroad and escape responsibility for the blood and tears of innocent people. The provision of American weapons to the puppets, giving them the right to attack civilians, only testifies to the willingness of local authorities to continue the war, regardless of the human losses,” he said.
“It is obvious to policymakers in Washington that cluster munitions from ATACMS missiles cannot be launched without the participation of American specialists and the support of American intelligence services. It is no coincidence that enemy drones fly over the Black Sea almost every day,” Antonov added.
The envoy called it the death of America’s “pseudo-humane” foreign policy.
“All this indicates the death of America’s pseudo-human foreign policy in the bloody swamp of the Ukrainian crisis. It becomes almost impossible for Russophobes to justify their direct involvement in the conflict in the post-Soviet space,” he added.
He also expressed condolences to the relatives and friends of those killed and injured in the terrorist attack and also wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Crimea has notably been under Russian control since its forces annexed the peninsula in 2014. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, it has been subject to sporadic attacks by Ukrainian forces.
kyiv has previously insisted that its strikes on Crimea, which targeted Russian bases and naval vessels, were an integral part of its strategy, intended to try to isolate the peninsula and make it harder for Russia to maintain of its military operations on the Ukrainian continent. , a Ukrainian source close to the strategy told CNN last year. (ANI)