Russia to U.S.: ‘No Longer at Peace’ After Deadly Crimea Strike

The Russian foreign ministry summoned U.S. ambassador Lynne Tracy following a deadly Ukrainian attack on a Black Sea port in Crimea that resulted in four fatalities and over 150 injuries. This incident has significantly heightened tensions between the two countries.

In their statement, the Russian foreign ministry accused Washington of becoming a direct participant in the war on Ukraine's side. During the meeting, Russia reportedly warned Tracy with the ominous phrase, “We are no longer at peace,” which, while not an outright declaration of war, certainly raises alarms for the U.S.

The Ukrainian missile strike on Sevastopol, a port city in Crimea, led to tragic casualties, including two children who were struck by debris from the missiles. The attack occurred during a busy beach day, causing panic as beachgoers fled and the injured were carried away on sun beds.

Russia claims the missiles were American-made ATACMS long-range guided missiles, implicating the U.S. in their view. These missiles have been supplied to Kyiv for over a year, enabling Ukrainian forces to target areas up to 186 miles away.

Despite U.S. instructions for Ukraine to avoid using supplied weapons to strike Russian territory, Crimea is not recognized as Russian territory by most countries since its annexation from Ukraine in 2014. A White House National Security Council spokesperson told the BBC: “Ukraine makes its own targeting decisions and conducts its own military operations.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused the U.S. of “killing Russian children” in what he described as a “barbaric” strike. He warned that U.S. involvement, which has led to Russian civilian casualties, would have unspecified “consequences,” stating ominously, "Time will tell what these will be."

Russia has consistently maintained that nations supplying weapons to Ukraine are legitimate military targets. Recently, Putin reiterated this stance, suggesting that Russia might consider supplying weapons to other regions or groups in retaliation.

While extreme actions by Russia are deemed unlikely, some analysts believe this could mean supplying weapons to countries like North Korea and Iran or groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, potentially provoking a U.S. response.

Moscow is also considering downgrading its diplomatic relations with the West. Peskov indicated that Russia is exploring various options in response to what it views as hostile Western intervention in the Ukrainian conflict, though no official decision has been made yet.