News of the World

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Russia Blames U.S. for Deadly Ukraine Missile Strike on Crimean Beach

Russian authorities said six people died and over 100 were wounded in Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Sunday, while the second day of Russia’s aerial bombing of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine killed at least one person.

Among the dead were five people – including two children – who were hit by falling debris from Ukrainian missiles that were shot down over a coastal area in Sevastopol, a port city in Russia-annexed Crimea, said Mikhail Razvozhayev, the city’s Moscow-installed governor. Another person died in Grayvoron city in Russia’s Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing the Health Ministry, said 124 people were wounded in Sevastopol. Falling rocket fragments caused a forest fire of over 150 square meters (1,600 square feet) and set a residential building alight, RIA Novosti said, noting that a fifth missile had exploded over the city.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said both Ukraine and the U.S. bore “responsibility for a deliberate missile strike on civilians.” It said that U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles were used in the Ukranian attack.

Razvozhayev declared Monday a day of mourning in Sevastopol, with public events canceled.

Air defenses overnight shot down 33 Ukrainian drones over Russia’s western Bryansk, Smolensk, Lipetsk and Tula regions, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Sunday. No casualties or damage were reported.

A fresh attack on Kharkiv killed at least one person and wounded 11 on Sunday, according to local officials. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the city was attacked by a guided bomb and that around half of Kharkiv was without electricity because of the strike.

Sunday’s attacks came after Russia struck Kharkiv on Saturday afternoon with four aerial bombs, hitting a five-story residential building and killing three people. Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said that 41 people were still being treated for injuries on Sunday.

In a video address following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine´s partners to bolster its air defenses.

“Modern air defense systems for Ukraine – such as Patriots, accelerated training of our pilots for F-16s, and most importantly, sufficient range for our weapons – are truly necessary,” he said.

Two people were wounded by falling debris when two Russian missiles were shot down over the Kyiv region overnight, Ukraine´s air force commander Mykola Oleschuk said.

Regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin of Ukraine’s partly occupied Donetsk region said that Russian attacks on Saturday killed two people and wounded four.

In other developments, the Ukrainian Navy released photos Sunday that it says confirm the destruction of a warehouse in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region used to launch and store Iranian-designed Shahed drones.

Navy officials said training instructors and cadets were killed in the attack on Friday night. Moscow has not yet commented on the reports, but officials said air defenses shot down a number of drones in the region overnight on Friday.