Part of Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital was hit by a missile yesterday, resulting, as reported by Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko, in the death of 2 adults and injuries to up to 16 people. Both Kyiv and Moscow agree that the building was hit by a missile during a major Russian attack.
Ukraine’s secret service, SBU, provided a puzzling photo, purporting to show a fragment of a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile with an identifying serial number, reported Ukrainska Pravda. However, what is displayed is not a number stamped in metal, but what appears to be a rather clownish, hand-painted and very enlarged number. Further, an anonymous SBU source is cited saying that there’s a video of the Russian missile heading straight at the hospital, without having been hit and deflected by the Ukrainians.
Russia’s Defense Ministry stated yesterday: “Claims by representatives of the Kyiv regime alleging a purportedly deliberate Russian strike on civilian sites are absolutely not true. Numerous photos and videos from Kyiv irrefutably confirm destruction by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile, which was fired by a launcher positioned inside the city.
“We especially note that similar hysterics by the Kyiv regime have been happening for several years now, and each time on the eve of another meeting (summit) of its NATO patrons.”
The Belarus-based Military Summary Channel explained last evening that four X-101 Russian missiles flew over the hospital on their way to their target, the Artyom munitions plant. Radar tracking shows the missiles approached on a route over the hospital to the plant 1.3 km away. Hence, suspicion is cast on either an X-101 missile or on an air defense missile launched at the X-101. However, the X-101 warheads would have caused far greater damage than what occurred at the section of the hospital building.
