Reports suggest that on June 23, Ukraine launched an ATACMS missile into Crimea, with the parent projectile being intercepted in mid-air. The resulting submunitions fell on a crowded beach in Crimea, causing panic among beachgoers. A video capturing the incident was posted on the Telegram channel Sevastopol_kp on June 25 and shows submunitions continuously falling and exploding on a beach where people were swimming and playing. Despite the chaos, a person holding a yellow buoy managed to continue running seemingly unhurt.
According to Russian Defense Ministry sources, Ukrainian forces launched five ATACMS missiles with cluster munitions at the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, resulting in casualties. The incident claimed the lives of five people, including two children, and injured over 150 individuals. Russia accused the US of providing the ATACMS missiles to Ukraine and coordinating the attack, leading to civilian deaths. However, US officials denied any involvement in the incident and emphasized that Ukraine had chosen its targets independently during military operations.
The White House expressed regret over any civilian casualties caused by the attack while Ukrainian officials defended their actions by claiming that Crimea is a legitimate military target due to hidden Russian military installations in the region. Russia has criticized US for supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine and raising tensions between two nations further.
The incident has sparked outrage from various organizations around the world who have condemned such attacks against civilians as unjustified and callous disregard for human life. The international community is working towards finding ways to prevent such incidents from happening again in future.
In conclusion, this unfortunate event highlights how even though war may seem necessary sometimes but it should not come at such a cost where innocent lives are lost or harmed. It is crucial that all parties involved in such conflicts adhere to rules of engagement and prioritize protecting civilians above everything else.