Bellingcat confirms Russia struck Okhmatdyt with Kh-101 missile
Bellingcat analysts have examined data from the massive attack on Kyiv and concluded that on July 8, Russians struck the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital with a Kh-101 cruise missile, according to a report on the Bellingcat website.
The analysts write that immediately after the Russian strike, several public channels known for spreading disinformation, including the Russian Foreign Ministry's account, began claiming that the missile was of American manufacture and had been launched from a Ukrainian air defense system.
However, analysis conducted by Bellingcat using social media video footage and 3D missile modeling shows that the Russians hit the hospital with a Kh-101 missile. This assertion was supported by Dr. Fabian Hoffmann from the University of Oslo, who specializes in missile technologies.
Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear weapons and missile expert from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, reached a similar conclusion in an email to Bellingcat, stating that a Kh-101 missile can be seen in the attack footage published on social media.
Analysts note that the video clearly shows the missile that hit the hospital. They noted that the Kh-101 has characteristic features. For example, two short wings in the middle of the missile. The video also shows a detail resembling a jet engine in its rear section.
Additionally, analysts examined photos of missile fragments released by the Security Service of Ukraine. The images show what appears to be a support spar and engine panel. Instructions and images documenting previous Kh-101 strikes describe similar fragments in detail.
Bellingcat specialists also refuted Russian claims that a missile from the Ukrainian NASAMS air defense system had allegedly fallen on the hospital.
The images clearly show a jet engine noticeably protruding from the wing. This prominent feature is present on the Kh-101 but not on the AIM-120 missile used by NASAMS. Moreover, the wings in the middle section of the missile that hit Okhmatdyt do not match those of the AIM-120.
Read also: Okhmatdyt strike: SBU finds Kh-101 Russian missile engine fragments – photos