Authorities in Moscow on Monday warned Washington that it would face "consequences" following a deadly Ukrainian strike on annexed Crimea that was said to have been carried out with U.S.-supplied long-range missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Sunday's strike on the city of Sevastopol "barbaric" and accused the United States of "killing Russian children." Among the four people killed in the attack were two minors.
"The involvement by the United States, the direct involvement, as a result of which Russian civilians are killed, cannot go without consequences," Peskov told reporters. "Time will tell what these will be."
Peskov pointed to comments made by President Vladimir Putin earlier this month about Moscow arming countries so that they could potentially launch strikes against Western targets.
Russia's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said it had summoned U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy in response to Sunday's attack on Crimea.
It later issued a statement saying that Washington "bears equal responsibility with the Kyiv regime for this atrocity" and the strike would "not go unpunished."
Russian authorities have said that the strike on Sevastopol was carried out with U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles loaded with a cluster warhead. Moscow-installed authorities in Crimea said the weapons hit an area with recreational beaches and hotels.
Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, said on Monday that "Russia must leave the peninsula."
"Their army and military objects there must cease to exist," he wrote on social media.
Similarly, Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, said Crimea was a legitimate military target.
"Crimea is also a large military camp and warehouse, with hundreds of direct military targets, which the Russians are cynically trying to hide and cover up with their own civilians," he said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
