Experts question Russian portrayal of attack on Kyiv children’s hospital

• A rocket hit a children’s hospital. Ukraine claims it was a Russian attack, but Moscow denies this.
• War experts dispute Russian claims that it was a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile and argue that it was a Russian cruise missile.
• Visual evidence and expert analysis contradict Russian statements about the attack, which killed at least 31 people.

War and weapons experts dispute the Russian Defense Ministry’s claim that it did not attack a children’s hospital in Kyiv on Monday, even though the attack sparked outrage in Ukraine and internationally.

The Security Service of Ukraine identified the missile that hit the medical facility as a Russian Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile. The hospital was hit as part of a massive barrage.

In response to the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “We must hold Russia accountable for its terrorist acts and Putin for ordering the attacks.”

The Kremlin quickly argued that it was not to blame. “Statements by representatives of the Kiev regime about an allegedly deliberate missile attack by Russia on civilian targets are absolutely untrue,” the Moscow Defense Ministry posted a statement on Telegram after images emerged.

The Russian Defense Ministry said photos and videos of the attack showed that the destruction of the Ochmatdyt Children’s Hospital was caused by a crashed Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile fired from an anti-aircraft missile system.

War analysts took to social media and pointed to available visual evidence to argue against Russia’s claims.

“The Department of Defense is gaslighting,” said Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in a post on X that included a video of the attack from United24 Media. “No, it was not ‘Ukrainian air defenses’ that caused the attack on a children’s hospital.”

Massicot added that additional Russian missiles struck a nearby military facility. The Russian attack hit targets in Kyiv and several other cities.

Analysts concluded that the weapon was neither an anti-aircraft missile nor a damaged Russian missile that had been knocked off course. There was no visible damage to the Russian missile. or any signs of distress.

Fabian Hoffman, a doctoral student at the Oslo nuclear project, found from photos and videos of the attack that the missile was intact, the ejection functioned normally and the weapon hit at a steep angle.

“The flight looks completely controlled,” he said on X.

He also disagreed with the assessment that it was a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile. He pointed to the visible turbofan engine, the long wings in the center section and the blunt tip of the missile, all of which point to a cruise missile and not an interceptor.

The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that it does not intentionally attack civilian infrastructure, but the Associated Press has documented numerous cases in which Russia has attacked civilian-occupied areas.

According to Ukraine, at least 36 people were killed in the rocket attack, which also hit the children’s hospital.