Ukraine's Security Service and Prosecutor General's Office found out which Russian commander ordered strike on Okhmatdyt children's hospital – photos

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) jointly with the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine has uncovered one of the Russian officers involved in the organisation and carrying out of the attack on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital on 8 July 2024. Sergei Kobylash, Lieutenant General of the Armed Forces of Russia, was served with a notice of suspicion.

Source: press services of the SSU and the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine

Details: The investigation reports that on 8 July 2024 at 9:15 a Russian Tu-95MS bomber-missile carrier launched a Kh-101 missile on a children’s hospital in the city of Kyiv on the order of Kobylash.

The attack on Okhmatdyt was carried out by the 22nd Heavy Bombardment Aviation Guards Division of Long-Range Aviation of the Airspace Forces of Russia.

It was established that the Russian aircraft took off from an airbase near the Russian city of Olenegorsk and launched the missile above Saratov Oblast in Russia at a distance of almost 600 km away from the border of Ukraine.

The Kh-101 missile launched from Russian territory entered the airspace of Ukraine near Chernihiv Oblast and started manoeuvring, constantly changing the trajectory of the flight through the territory of four oblasts of Ukraine.

It proves that the missile was programmed to circumvent the Ukrainian air defence and strike the medical institution, the SSU states.

At about 10:45 the Russian Kh-101 struck the department of intensive care and efferent therapy of acute and chronic intoxications of the Okhmatdyt hospital.

The missiles of this type are used to strike ground targets with the location known in advance, the Prosecutor General’s Office states.

The Russian strike killed two civilians: a young doctor and the grandfather of a young patient. At least 34 people were hurt, including 9 children. More than 600 children were at the hospital during the attack.

The hospital's premises were damaged. Valuable medical equipment needed for the treatment of children was destroyed.

Law enforcement investigators discovered the wreckage of a Russian missile at the scene, which had a marking indicating that it was manufactured in the second quarter of 2024 by the Russian Raduga Design Bureau.

Based on the information gathered, investigators from Ukraine's Security Service served a notice of suspicion on Kobylash for breaking the laws and customs of war, as well as intentional murder carried out by a group of people.

"Kobylash is currently a suspect in committing other war crimes in Ukraine. In particular, under his leadership, civilian energy infrastructure was struck in 2022-2023. In March 2024, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Kobylash precisely for these war crimes," said SSU representative Naumiuk.

For reference: Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash, a 59-year-old native of Odesa, was the commander of long-range aviation of the Air Force of the Aerospace Forces of Russia at the time of the strike on the Ukrainian hospital. On 24 July 2024, he was promoted and appointed commander of the Air Force of the Russian Federation.

Since the accused is on Russian soil, efforts are being taken to bring him to justice for crimes against Ukraine, according to the SSU.

Background:

• The Russians launched a strike on the Okhmatdyt National Children's Specialised Hospital in Kyiv on 8 July. One of the buildings was destroyed.
• The Kyiv authorities reported that 2 adults had been killed and over 30 injured.
• The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has defined Russia's attack on the Okhmatdyt National Children's Specialised Hospital in Kyiv as a war crime and initiated criminal proceedings into the matter. SSU investigators reported that an engine part of a Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile at the medical facility.
• Ukraine's Air Force also categorically denied that the Okhmatdyt could have been targeted by a Ukrainian air defence missile.

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