Not less than 5 lifeless after missile fragments scatter over beachgoers in Russian-occupied Crimea

Not less than 5 folks had been killed and over 100 injured when missile fragments scattered over beachgoers throughout a Ukrainian strike on town of Sevastopol in Russia-occupied Crimea, authorities say.

“Sadly, we at the moment have 124 victims, of which three [are] lifeless youngsters and two [are] lifeless adults,” Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev stated on Telegram.

The Russian Ministry of Protection stated in a put up on Telegram that Ukraine carried out the assault utilizing “US-supplied ATACMS operational-tactical missiles outfitted with cluster warheads.”

4 missiles had been shot down by Russian air protection however one other “deviated from its flight trajectory within the ultimate part as a result of influence of air defenses, with the warhead exploding within the air over town,” the put up added.

Video footage posted on X exhibits the aftermath of the strike, with wounded civilians seen being carried from the seashore in stretchers earlier than being loaded into autos. Beachgoers, a few of them nonetheless of their swimwear, will be seen evacuating the realm.

One in all victims killed within the Ukrainian strike was the daughter of Oleg Averyanov, Deputy Mayor of Magadan. Yuri Grishan, the Mayor of Magadan, stated Averyanov’s daughter Sofia was 9 and on trip together with her dad and mom in Sevastopol.

The casualties had been partially brought on by the timing of the strike, which got here “at a time when civilians, some had been getting back from work, some had already gone to the seashore with their youngsters,” in keeping with Governor Razvozhayev, who has introduced a day of mourning.

In line with eyewitnesses on the bottom, there was no air raid siren which warned of the assault. Many native residents additionally took to the remark part of official posts to specific their dissatisfaction in regards to the air raid siren not alerting them to an incoming assault.

In response to Ukraine’s assault on Sevastopol, the Russian Ministry of Protection stated “such actions won’t go unanswered,” saying accountability for the assault lied with Washington.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Russian President Vladimir Putin is in fixed contact with Sevastopol authorities, including that the Russian authorities’s precedence is to supply all essential help to victims, RIA says.

Ukraine has not formally commented on the assault, however CNN has reached out to the Ukrainian army for a remark.

Crimea has been occupied by Russia since its forces annexed the peninsula in 2014. Because the outbreak of the warfare in Ukraine, it has come beneath sporadic assault from Ukrainian forces.

Kyiv has beforehand insisted that its strikes on Crimea, which have focused Russian naval bases and vessels, are an integral a part of their technique, meant to attempt to isolate the peninsula and make it tougher for Russia to maintain its army operations on the Ukrainian mainland, a Ukrainian supply acquainted with the technique informed CNN final yr.

Earlier than Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Sevastopol – the biggest metropolis in Crimea – was a preferred vacationer vacation spot for Russians. Even after the outbreak of warfare, Russians have continued to flock to the coastal metropolis regardless of the hazards.

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