In a devastating attack on Sunday, a strategic port in occupied Crimea was targeted, resulting in at least five fatalities and numerous injuries. Russia has accused the United States of supplying the missiles used in the strike. The incident marks one of the largest assaults on the Russian-annexed peninsula in recent months.

According to Russia's Defense Ministry, four Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rockets, provided by the U.S., were intercepted over the city of Sevastopol. However, fragments from a fifth rocket caused "numerous casualties among civilians" on the ground. As of now, there has been no independent confirmation of the specific weaponry employed in the attack.

The United States has been supporting Ukraine with military aid in response to Russia's invasion since February 2022. In recent developments, the Biden administration granted Ukraine permission to utilize American weapons to strike inside Russia, as reported by two American officials. Despite NBC News' request for comment, both the White House and State Department remained silent.

Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 but is internationally recognized as Ukrainian territory, suffered a tragic loss. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of the city, conveyed that three children were among the deceased and more than 120 individuals sustained injuries. Governor Razvozhayev declared Monday a day of mourning, while also personally visiting the injured victims in hospitals. He disclosed that the attack occurred at a time when many residents were returning from church and celebrating the Orthodox holiday of Holy Trinity, or were at the beach with their children.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reached out to Governor Razvozhayev immediately after the attack, expressing his condolences to the victims' families. In response, the governor accused Kyiv authorities of launching the strike "on the sly," deliberately targeting civilians. Alexander Kulagin, the governor's deputy, further informed that a significant number of the injured were present at the beach during the assault.

Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced the dispatch of doctors from the capital to provide essential aid. Moscow clinics are fully prepared to treat the victims. Meanwhile, there has been no immediate reaction from Kyiv, as the ministry of defense, ministry of foreign affairs, and military officials have yet to respond to NBC News' request for comment.

The attack on the occupied Crimea port has been condemned by Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as an act of terrorism. She asserts that U.S. weapons were used in the assault and demands that the United Nations condemn this act. Crimea's Moscow-appointed head, Sergei Aksyonov, echoed Zakharova's sentiment, describing the incident as a "barbaric, unscrupulous terrorist attack." Russian authorities have initiated a criminal investigation into the strike.

In a separate incident, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov revealed that Russia continued to target civilian infrastructure in the city with aerial bombs. Sunday's strikes claimed the life of one individual and injured 11 others. Moreover, part of Kharkiv has been left without power, forcing the shutdown of the metro system in Ukraine's second-largest city. This follows an attack the previous day that resulted in three deaths and 41 injuries, causing significant damage to a five-story residential building, according to Gov. Syniehubov.

As tensions escalate between Russia and Ukraine, the international community is closely monitoring the situation, calling for a swift resolution to prevent further loss of life and damage to civilian infrastructure.