WASHINGTON, June 24. /TASS/. American Ambassador to Moscow Lynne Tracy said, when she was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, that the US regrets any civilian deaths in the Ukrainian conflict, according to US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller.
"I've seen the comments from the Government of Moscow. I think they pertain to the reported strike in Crimea," he said at a news conference, when asked to comment on statements in Moscow that the US is waging a hybrid war against Russia. "I will just tell you what the ambassador said and when she met with the Russian Foreign Ministry, and that is, of course, that we lament any civilian loss of life in this war."
Miller said the US gives weapons to Kiev "so it can defend its sovereign territory," which Washington believes includes Crimea.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Tracy to issue her a "demarche in connection with the new bloody crime of the Kiev regime, which - while being sponsored and armed by Washington - carried out a targeted missile attack on the civilian population of Sevastopol, causing numerous victims, including children." The Foreign Ministry stated that the US is waging a hybrid war against Russia and had essentially become a party to the conflict by supplying Ukrainian forces with the most advanced weapons.
Ukraine attacked civilian infrastructure in Sevastopol with cluster variants of ATACMS missiles on June 23. While four missiles were downed, a fifth exploded over the city. The attack killed four people, including two children, and injured more than 150 others, Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said.
The Russian Investigative Committee has started a criminal investigation, classifying the incident as a terrorist attack. June 24 has been declared a day of mourning in Sevastopol and Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to residents of Sevastopol.