A state of emergency has been declared in Sevastopol in the Russian-occupied Crimea. There had been rocket attacks beforehand. The Kremlin believes the US was involved, but the US denies this.
One day after the Ukrainian missile attack that left several people dead and injured, the authorities in the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia, have declared a state of emergency. This is according to a decree by Governor Mikhail Razvoszhaev, which was published by Russian news agencies. The state of emergency can restrict citizens' constitutional rights, such as freedom of movement.
According to official information, four people were killed and 151 injured in the attack. Two children are said to be among the dead. 79 people are still in hospital. 21 people, including eleven children, are to be flown to Moscow due to the severity of their injuries.
Most of the victims were on a city beach in Sevastopol when rocket debris fell and exploded, authorities say. Videos released by Russian media show people on a beach fleeing after explosions.
Moscow: Targeted attack on civilians
According to information from the news agency dpa, there was no air raid warning on Sunday. The Russian military initially said that it had shot down the missile, but then retracted this statement. Later it was said that the Ukrainian missiles had been targeted at civilians. However, even in Russian military blogs, this claim is sometimes cast into doubt.
There are several military facilities nearby. However, reports of facilities allegedly being hit have not yet been confirmed by either the Ukrainian or Russian sides. According to media reports, the beach area has been closed to swimming.
According to the Russian army, Ukraine fired a total of five missiles, four of which were intercepted by air defenses over the sea. Sevastopol was attacked “in broad daylight with ballistic missiles with cluster munitions,” claimed Governor Rasvoszhayev.
Russia sees USA as responsible
Moscow attributed responsibility to Washington for the attack because it was carried out with ATACMS missiles, a US-made short-range ballistic missile. The US government therefore bears responsibility for the “deliberate missile attack on civilians in Sevastopol,” according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The flight data for these missiles were entered “by US specialists based on data from US satellite reconnaissance.”
“Such actions will not go unanswered,” the ministry added. The Russian Investigative Committee said it had launched an investigation into a “terrorist act.”
The US government rejected the Russian accusations of shared responsibility. “Ukraine makes its own decisions regarding targets and conducts its own military operations,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense. Ukraine did not initially comment on the missile attack on Sevastopol.
Conflicting parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent source.
Ukraine again shells border regions
Governor Razvozhayev declared today a day of mourning in the city. Events have been cancelled.
The Black Sea city of Sevastopol is regularly targeted by the Ukrainian army. The port city is the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, is an important logistical hub for the Russian army.
The Ukrainian army again shelled targets on the peninsula during the night. There were several explosions in the port city of Yevpatoria, reported the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. The authorities in the port city of Sevastopol also sounded an air raid warning – in contrast to the attacks on Sunday.
Attacks in several Russian regions
According to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, one person was killed and three others injured in drone attacks in the Russian region of Belgorod near the border.
According to the Ministry of Defense, Russian air defense intercepted more than 30 Ukrainian drones this morning. The missiles were aimed at the regions of Bryansk, Smolensk, Lipetsk and Tula in the west of the country.
