The rocket that hit Ohmatdit was Russian.

Russia denies targeting the hospital and blames Ukrainian air defense.

"Numerous published photographs and videos from Kiev unmistakably confirm the fact of destruction due to the fall of a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile launched from an air defense missile system within the city," the Russian Ministry of Defense said.

The Russian army has not provided any evidence for this version.

During two years of war, the Russians have not once acknowledged their involvement in attacks on civilian objects, explaining each destruction as a result of Ukrainian air defense action.

BBC Verify analyzed two videos of yesterday's missile strike on Ohmatdit and geolocated each to confirm the attack's location.

Six ballistic experts who reviewed the footage unanimously agreed that it was not an anti-aircraft missile.

 

Everyone said they couldn't determine the exact type of the launched missile, but they agreed it was most likely a Russian air-to-ground missile. Four out of six specifically mentioned the Russian X-101, which corresponds to Ukraine's official stance.

 

"What does the SBU say?

 

The Security Service of Ukraine stated that Russia hit a children's hospital with an X-101 missile.

"At the scene of the tragedy, relevant evidence has already been found: in particular, fragments of the rear part of the X-101 missile with a serial number and part of the rudder of the same missile," the Service stated a few hours after the strike. They also released photographs of the wreckage.

Later, the SBU announced that they have new evidence which, according to their words, confirms that Russia targeted 'Okhmatdyt' with the Kh-101 missile."

 

According to the Ukrainian special service, a fragment of the engine of the Kh-101 cruise missile was found at the site of the tragedy.

"The conclusions of the experts are unequivocal - it was a targeted strike. This is evidenced not only by fragments of the missile found at the impact site, but also by the analysis of flight path data, the nature of the damage caused, as well as a large number of video and photo materials," emphasized the SBU.

The Security Service has classified the attack on "Okhmatdyt" as a war crime and initiated criminal proceedings.

 

What Ukrainian experts say

 

Videos have appeared on social media and in the news showing the moment of impact on the "Ohmatdit" hospital, as well as neighboring houses and an industrial facility near the "Lukyanivska" metro station.

 

Importantly, there are videos from different angles that allow you to see exactly where some of the projectiles are flying.

 

Specifically, one of the recordings clearly shows that a brightly colored projectile is flying from the west at an angle of approximately 45 degrees towards one of the buildings of "Ohmatdit," specifically the one located just behind the tall glass building of the Ministry of Infrastructure.

 

Ivan Kirichevsky, a military analyst at the information and consulting agency Defense Express, believes that the shape and speed of the projectile are indeed similar to the caliber X-101.

 

"A subsonic cruise missile, which has distinctive features such as a cylindrical fuselage and a turbojet engine on external suspension, fell on Ohmatdit," said VVS Ukraine.

 

This missile flies slower than an anti-aircraft missile and clearly targets the hospital as its target, not just randomly falling.

 

And not only that, emphasizes the military analyst, it was most likely a modernized version of the Kh-101, also known as "Product 504AP." The Russians have already launched such missiles at targets in Ukraine.

 

The special feature of this version is that in addition to the computer, which is guided by coordinates, there is an optical-electronic station that is guided by the target's image," he explains.

 

In other words, the expert says, before launching, the Russian military had to input into the computer's memory not only the coordinates but also an image of the Ohmatdit building in order for the projectile to accurately hit its target.  

"On the video, it can be seen that it made a characteristic spin before hitting the target," emphasizes Kirichevsky.

 

Furthermore, the attack on Kyiv did not occur at night but during sunny daytime, which is another indication that it was a modified version of the Kh-101 missile. It makes sense to launch it only during good weather conditions in daylight so that the optical-electronic system can effectively identify the target.

 

Russian military analysts Jan Matveyev and Yuriy Fedorov also told the agency that the video shows the flight of a cruise missile, not an anti-aircraft missile. The former highlighted the body shape, tail section, and wing arrangement of the projectile, while the latter drew attention to the powerful explosion of the warhead, which an anti-aircraft missile could not cause.

 

Why weren't they shot down?

 

The modified version of the Kh-101 missile has several advantages besides target recognition. Specifically, it has a device for targeting "false targets," which allows it to deceive air defense systems. During flight, this device likely deploys heat decoys or disperses dipole reflectors—metalized foil strips—into the air to create disturbances on radar screens. This prevents air defense missile systems from timely targeting enemy projectiles.

 

This may be one of the reasons why in Kyiv, the most heavily defended city in Ukraine, the air defense system did not manage to intercept all of the Russian cruise missiles.

 

Former spokesperson of the Air Force, Yuri Ignat, also points out the advancement in Russian air attack methods. "Unfortunately, the enemy is constantly improving not only reconnaissance and drone attack capabilities but also other means of air assault - cruise and ballistic missiles. As a result, they are becoming harder to detect and destroy. Enemy missiles are equipped with additional means, especially radar and thermal decoys," emphasizes Ignat.

 

Regarding the attack on July 8th, according to Ignat, Russian cruise missiles flew at very low altitudes, in some places as low as 50 meters. Former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for Air Defense, General Ihor Romanenko, believes that the Russians managed to "overload" the air defense system of the capital city.

 

This occurred because the missiles were launched simultaneously in large numbers from different carriers and changed routes during flight. Additionally, the Russian military slightly altered their tactics and divided the attack into two parts, with the first series of missiles launched at night and the second late in the morning.

"They overloaded" the air defense. "And we don't have enough air defense batteries to even work on all ballistic missiles," he told BBC Ukraine.

 

Regarding cruise missiles, Romanenko is certain it was a modernized version of the Kh-101 that was launched over Kyiv.

 

Numerous photographs and videos from the hospital grounds show severe damage to the building. The hospital itself released photos and videos showing hallways covered in glass. Volodymyr Zelensky showed a video on his Telegram channel depicting destroyed children's wards.

 

Economist journalist Oliver Carroll, who was on the scene, recounted his conversation with an Ohmatdyt surgeon who was performing open-heart surgery at the time of the attack.

 

He had to shield a girl lying on the operating table with his body and implant a stabilizer to stabilize the child's condition: "We hoped for the best. There was chaos all around, glass was flying."

 

Photographs of evacuated patients and their parents have also circulated in the media and on social networks. Some, including children diagnosed with cancer, were evacuated while undergoing treatment - sitting beside intravenous drips with medication next to the walls of the damaged hospital. In less damaged areas, there was no electricity and water, said Viktor Liashko, head of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

 

According to Liashko, the main impact on the hospital fell on the building where children were receiving dialysis, a blood purification process necessary for patients with kidney damage. At the same time, he stated that intensive care units, operating rooms, and oncology services were also damaged. Minister Liashko added that children who were in intensive care were saved.

 

Every year, around 20,000 children are treated at "Ohmatdit," including those with rare and serious diseases. The hospital performs up to 10,000 surgeries annually. It is the only center in the country where prematurely born infants weighing 500 grams or more are saved. Additionally, the hospital's pediatric hematology center is the leading institution in the country for diagnosing leukemia and bone marrow transplantation.

 

"Ohmatdit" is not only the largest but also one of the oldest hospitals in the country. This year marks its 130th anniversary. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, doctors at "Ohmatdit" have been treating children affected by the hostilities.