USA: Russia intercepted a missile in Sevastopol incident

Although sources indicate that the Ukrainian military deployed five ATACMS missiles and drones, there is no concrete evidence that ATACMS missiles were actually used. Some debris photos purportedly from the attack are from a 9M330 anti-aircraft missile of Soviet/Russian origin. However, the authenticity of these photos is unconfirmed – there is no confirmed date, location, or source.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that air defense systems intercepted four missiles from the US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), but debris from the fifth missile unfortunately caused casualties on the ground.

RIA Novosti asked about the type of munitions used in the latest attack, but the source declined to confirm whether they were US ATACMS tactical missiles and suggested that the investigation should be directed directly to the Ukrainian authorities.

A Pentagon spokesman said the Ukrainian military chooses its targets autonomously. According to him, a Ukrainian missile aimed at a military base in Crimea was intercepted by a Russian anti-aircraft missile, after which shrapnel fell on a nearby beach and injured civilians.

The video above captures the moment of the attack. If the American version is correct, it shows “several fragments” and not a single fragment. Russian authorities, on the other hand, claim that what was seen was cluster munitions from an American ATACMS missile and not fragments of an intercepted projectile.

Meanwhile, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested that reported deaths and injuries on a civilian beach in Sevastopol were caused by the use of cluster munitions by Ukrainian forces.

The Georgia Republican, known for her staunch opposition to U.S. aid to Ukraine, posted on X (formerly Twitter) after reports emerged that five people were killed on Sunday when Russians intercepted a missile over the city of Sevastopol on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula.

“The responsibility for the targeted missile attack on the civilian population of Sevastopol lies primarily with Washington, which supplied Ukraine with these weapons, and with the Kiev regime, from whose territory this attack was carried out,” The ministry said the deaths were the result of an aerial missile interception and not a direct attack on the beach.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced online: “Today at 12:15 p.m., Sevastopol was the target of a planned missile attack using five US ATACMS missiles with cluster warheads.” According to the report, four of the missiles were intercepted by air defense forces. Unfortunately, the explosion of the fragmentation warhead of the fifth missile in the air resulted in numerous civilian casualties in Sevastopol.”

The Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is a surface-to-surface missile (SSM) developed by the United States. It is designed for long-range precision attacks on high-value targets such as command and control centers, air defense systems, and logistics facilities. The missile is fired from the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

The ATACMS missile is about 4 meters long and has a diameter of about 0.61 meters. It weighs about 1,675 kilograms, making it an important weapon in the US military’s arsenal.

The ATACMS’s technical features include a solid rocket motor that gives it a range of up to 300 kilometers. The missile is guided by an inertial navigation system (INS) coupled with GPS, which ensures high targeting accuracy. The ATACMS can reach speeds of up to Mach 3, making it a fast and formidable weapon.

The ATACMS can be equipped with different warhead types depending on the mission requirements. These include unitary warheads for precision strikes and cluster munitions for area denial and anti-personnel attacks. The unitary warhead typically contains high explosives, while cluster munitions can disperse bomblets over a wide area.

As for interception, the Soviet/Russian air defense system capable of intercepting the ATACMS missile is the S-300 series, specifically the S-300V (NATO reporting name SA-12 Gladiator/Giant). The S-300V is designed to be used against a wide range of airborne threats, including tactical ballistic missiles such as the ATACMS. It features advanced radar systems and interceptor missiles capable of tracking and destroying incoming targets at different altitudes and speeds.

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