Russian air defense deliberately downs missiles over beaches: military expert on casualties in Sevastopol

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

"Let's talk about the fact that the events that took place on the beaches of Sevastopol are a planned information and psychological operation of the occupying Russian forces. The target audience is our Western partners, primarily the United States. The goal is to block the supply of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, to exert informational and political pressure on the US leadership to block the decision to allow the Ukrainian Defense Forces to attack military targets in the Russian Federation. This was the main idea behind the provocation that took place on the Crimean beaches," said Sniehyriov.

The military expert emphasized that numerous injuries and deaths among the civilian population were caused solely by Russian air defense systems, not by strikes by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

"The tactical and technical characteristics of the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems provide for the ability to shoot down aerial ballistic targets at a distance of up to 60 km. Accordingly, if ATACMS was shot down over the beach, it was a deliberate provocation by the Russian side. They were well aware of the consequences. And this is a clear indication that Putin does not care not only about Ukrainians, but also, and above all, about the citizens of his own country. Deaths of Russian citizens will not stop him from creating a picture that, in his opinion, should discredit the Ukrainian Defense Forces at the moment of using precision weapons," Sniehyriov summed up.

• On June 23, Russian occupation forces complained about the alleged sounds of explosions in different parts of Sevastopol. They claimed that air defense systems shot down 4 ATACMS missiles and there were 2 dead.