Russia has leveled accusations at Ukraine’s Western allies, claiming they assisted in planning and executing a missile strike on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea fleet situated in the annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for Moscow’s Foreign Ministry, commented on Wednesday, stressing that Western intelligence, NATO satellite assets, and reconnaissance planes played roles in Ukraine’s assault on the fleet’s headquarters.
According to Zakharova, the evidence is undeniable that the attack was premeditated with the assistance of Western intelligence, especially the security agencies of the US and Britain. She further stated that the objective behind these purported acts of terror is to detract from the Ukrainian armed forces’ unsuccessful counteroffensives and to instill fear and panic among the Russian populace.
Russia has consistently contended that the US and its NATO allies have been involved in the Ukraine conflict, citing their supply of weapons to Kyiv and offering intelligence and operational support to the Ukrainian military.
Reports, yet to be confirmed, suggest that Storm Shadow missiles, supplied to Ukraine by the UK and France, were utilized in the missile strike on the fleet’s Sevastopol-based headquarters.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, had earlier remarked on the escalating tension in the region. He mentioned that the recent deployment of US-made Abrams tanks to Ukraine and promises of supplying ATACMS missiles would edge NATO closer to a direct confrontation with Russia.
The attack on the Black Sea fleet’s headquarters is among several targeting the Crimean Peninsula, unlawfully annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014. Given its strategic importance in the invasion of Ukraine, Crimea has witnessed increased attacks by Ukrainian forces, who aim to reclaim the peninsula.
Ukraine has reported significant damage to the fleet’s headquarters, with claims of 34 officers, including fleet commander Admiral Viktor Sokolov, dead and over 100 personnel injured. Contradictorily, Admiral Sokolov was shown in recent broadcasts by Russian media.
Despite Russian media’s efforts to provide evidence of Sokolov’s well-being, the Washington, DC-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) remains skeptical. The institute highlighted the noticeable silence of the Kremlin and the Russian Ministry of Defense on the matter.
In response to the footage of Sokolov, Ukraine’s Special Operation Forces issued a statement, reiterating claims of his death in the missile attack and expressing intentions to authenticate these claims.
