Satellites have captured images of massive fires at the site of a suspected Ukrainian ATACMS strike on a Russian-controlled space control centre in Crimea.
Nasa’s Firms fire-monitoring system snapped photos of two distinct large blazes near the NIP-16 space communications complex in the village of Vitino, on the occupied peninsula’s western coast.
These details surfaced following reports that Ukrainian forces had launched multiple US-supplied ATACMS towards Crimea, which Moscow unlawfully annexed in 2014.
Social media footage appeared to show four Ukrainian M270 rocket launchers firing eight missiles into the night sky on Sunday night.
Shortly after, Crimean Wind, a local channel on the Telegram messaging app, shared a separate video suggesting that the space communications centre had been hit during the ATACMS raid.
The US Ambassador Lynne Tracy was summoned by Russia‘s Foreign Ministry, where she was told that Washington was “waging a hybrid war against Russia and has actually become a party to the conflict”.
The ministry added: “Retaliatory measures will definitely follow.”
Tracy expressed regret over any civilian casualties, with State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stating to the press that the US provides arms to Ukraine for the defence of its sovereign territory, including Crimea.
Pentagon spokesperson Major Charlie Dietz made it clear that “Ukraine makes its own targeting decisions and conducts its own military operations.”