Moscow, June 24 (IANS): The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned US Ambassador Lynne Tracy and delivered a formal protest, or demarche, regarding Sunday's deadly Ukrainian attack on Sevastopol, according to a statement released on Monday.

The Ministry accused Washington of sponsoring and arming Ukraine, as it warned that retaliatory measures would be forthcoming.

It said that by providing Ukrainian armed forces with advanced weapons, the United States has become a party to the conflict, reported Xinhua news agency.

The US-supplied ATACMS tactical missiles with cluster warheads that were used against the residents of Sevastopol were targeted and coordinated by American military specialists, the Foreign Ministry claimed.

The attack occurred at around 12:15 p.m. local time on Sunday and involved the use of US-supplied ATACMS tactical missiles equipped with cluster warheads, the Russian Defence Ministry said earlier in a statement.

According to the latest information, four people, including two children, have died and around 153 have been injured, local media reported on Monday, citing the head of the Sevastopol Health Department, Vitaly Denisov.