MAGA slams Ukraine strike on Crimea: ‘World War III in overdrive’

Right-wing American activists have sided with Russia amid reports that several people, including children, were killed when U.S.-supplied Ukrainian missiles were shot down over a Crimean beach on Sunday.

Russian authorities say shards of the destroyed weapons rained down on the Sevastopol beach in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory of Crimea, injuring 151 beachgoers and killing two children and two adults. Footage aired on Russian state TV showed tourists fleeing while the wounded were carried away on sun loungers; Russia’s defense ministry said responsibility for the attack “is borne above all by Washington” and warned the “atrocity… [would] not go unpunished.”

Now some American commentators, including several members of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement associated with former president Donald Trump, have aligned themselves with Moscow’s views on the incident. But other American analysts argue that the deaths were caused by Russia shooting down missiles flying overhead, adding Ukraine has the right to defend itself after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded the country back in February 2022, sparking global outrage and a bloody yearslong conflict. A grim war of attrition has ensued and the U.S. and other allies have been providing weapons and financial aid to Ukraine as it tries to force back Putin’s invaders.

The latest attack in Crimea on Sunday occurred when four U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, equipped with cluster warheads, were shot down by Russian air defense systems and the ammunition of a fifth detonated in midair, according to the Russian defense ministry.

“Responsibility for the deliberate missile attack on the civilians of Sevastopol is borne above all by Washington, which supplied these weapons to Ukraine, and by the Kyiv regime, from whose territory this strike was carried out,” a spokesperson for the ministry said.

The Russian foreign ministry summoned the U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy on Monday, before issuing a statement accusing the U.S. of involvement in an “atrocity” that it vowed would “not go unpunished.”

Newsweek has not yet been able to verify Russia’s account of the attack and has reached out by email to Russia’s defense ministry and Ukraine’s ministry of defense for further information and comment. Newsweek has also emailed the White House seeking a response to Russia’s claim that the U.S. was “responsible” for the attack.

The incident sparked fury in Russia. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, a leading voice among Russian hawks, described it as “a vile, despicable act against our people.” He added that there was “no difference to us” between the U.S. administration, Ukrainian leaders, and “crazy fanatics.”

And some American commentators on the right appear to hold similar views.

The founder of far-right website Infowars, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) saying the event was “World War III in Overdrive.” Russian sunbathers had been “slaughtered en masse,” he said, noting the missiles were made by the U.S.

The account Kim Dot-com, run by a self-described “gamer [… and] internet freedom fighter,” said on X: “Remember your representatives waving Ukrainian flags in Congress when Russia retaliates for US missile strikes that killed Russian kids on a beach in Crimea today. Joe Biden is provoking nuclear war with Russia. Are you ready to die for this demented fool?”

MAGA supporter, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, said: “This should not be happening. Imagine if Russia using a Russian satellite, fired cluster munitions on a Florida beach. The only border our American military should be defending is our own border and the constitution mandates the federal government to defend the states.”

But several critics hit back in the replies to the above posts.

One replied to Greene dismissing her a Putin apologist, saying: “More Russian propaganda from a vatnik.”

Another added: “Get your facts straight Marg. Ukraine fired munitions at a legitimate military airbase in Crimea. The Russians fired back and the falling debris from Russia’s actions hit their own people. US did nothing to cause this. Why are tourists still in an active war zone?”

And one posted a lengthy retort, telling Greene: “Firstly, there is no credible evidence that the U.S. Air Force is using Global Hawks to target Russian civilians in Sevastopol. This claim is unsubstantiated and inflammatory. Secondly, Ukraine’s use of cluster munitions has been limited to military objectives, not civilians. The U.S. provided these munitions with strict guidelines under international law. Thirdly, Sevastopol is internationally recognized as Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation, not sovereign Russian territory. Comparing it to a Florida beach is inaccurate and misleading. Fourthly, the term ‘provocatory’ is incorrect. You likely meant “provocative,” but even that is dubious given Ukraine’s defensive actions against an invasion. Lastly, your suggestion that the Biden administration is escalating tensions for electoral purposes is baseless and speculative.”

Russia annexed Crimea back in 2014 and now views the Black Sea peninsula as part of its territory, but the West still considers the area as belonging to Ukraine.

Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine has led to bitter fighting, with Reuters reporting in December 2023 that some 315,000 Russian troops had been killed or injured, while the Ukrainian death toll was thought to be around 70,000 (the report did not provide an estimate of wounded Ukrainians, but noted many Ukrainian victims were civilians).