On Sunday, a Ukrainian missile attack on the port city of Sevastopol, located on the Crimean peninsula, resulted in three fatalities and 125 injuries. The Russian Ministry of Health reported that among the fatalities were two children. Defense officials stated that several Ukrainian rockets were intercepted in the air, but debris from the missiles caused significant damage on the beach near Sevastopol, resulting in numerous casualties. Local authorities stated that many children were among the victims, with 27 individuals still hospitalized and five children sustaining life-threatening injuries.
The Russian Defense Ministry blamed the United States for the attack, alleging that ATACMS missiles supplied by Washington to Kiev were used in the assault. The Ministry warned that such actions would not go unpunished. Sevastopol, with a population of 550,000, is the largest city in Crimea and serves as a strategic naval port for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The city is independent of Crimea’s administrative control, with Simferopol as the capital of the region.
In addition to the attack on Sevastopol, Ukraine targeted Belgorod region near its border on Sunday with drone strikes that resulted in one fatality and three injuries. Reports indicate that a drone exploded in a parking lot in Belgorod. Belgorod frequently faces attacks from Ukraine with Kiev claiming self-defense against Russian aggression on its territory.