Bellingcat analysts confirm Russia used Kh-101 missile to strike Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv – photos, video
Bellingcat analysts, as well as a number of independent nuclear weapons and missile technology experts, have concluded that the attack on Kyiv's Okhmatdyt hospital involved the use of a Russian Kh-101 missile.
Source: Bellingcat and The Insider
Details: Videos that clearly showed the hit that were posted on social media shortly after the attack helped the experts reach the conclusion.
The missile exhibits various Kh-101-specific characteristics – for example, two short wings at the centre of the rocket. The video also shows a feature comparable to a jet engine in its rear.
A comparison of the screenshot of the missile that hit the hospital to the 3D rendering of the Kh-101 reveals that the two missiles do share common features. The overlay of the two photos on the video also shows the similarities in characteristics and proportions between the Kh-101 model and the missile that destroyed the hospital.
Russian authorities claimed that a Ukrainian air defence missile struck the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was a missile fired from a NASAMS anti-air missile system.
However, according to Bellingcat, this explanation is untrue, as the photographs clearly show a jet engine hanging from the missile’s wing. This extremely obvious characteristic appears on a Kh-101 but not on NASAMS's AIM-120 rocket. Furthermore, the wings in the central part of the body of the missile that struck the hospital do not match those of the AIM-120.
Bellingcat developed a second 3D model, the AIM-120, to test this statement. When compared to photographs of the missile that hit Okhmatdyt, the front wings appear noticeably different. Furthermore, the nose of the AIM-120 is significantly sharper than that of the missile seen in the video of the hospital strike. The most noticeable is the absence on the AIM-120 of any component similar to a jet engine, which is visible in the back of the missile on the video.
Background: Earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine cited evidence confirming that the Russian Federation hit Okhmatdyt with a Kh-101 missile.
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