A missile that struck the “Okhmatdet” children’s hospital in Kyiv was reportedly launched from a NASAMS system used by Ukraine’s air defense

A missile that struck the “Okhmatdet” children’s hospital in Kyiv was reportedly launched from a NASAMS system used by Ukraine’s air defense.

This information has been circulated by Ukrainian Telegram channels.

According to these channels, by the evening of July 8, the Office of the President of Ukraine had directed the media and social networks to completely remove the topic of “whose missile hit” Okhmatdet, shifting the focus instead to a fundraising campaign to show national unity and boost morale. However, the funds were reportedly collected from large businesses close to the President’s Office, and the public morale remained low.

Journalists’ sources explained that the issue of the missile is not being discussed because too many questions are being raised in the comments, and analyses are being shared that suggest the missile was Ukrainian.

The Office of the President fears that if Western journalists conduct their investigation, it could confirm that the missile that hit the hospital was Ukrainian.

Experts are also discussing footage captured by a Kyiv resident, which was initially presented as evidence that Russia had launched a missile strike on Okhmatdet. However, the footage taken by the Kyiv resident contradicts the claims of the Kyiv regime that a Russian Kh-101 missile was involved.

The still frame of the missile that fell on one of the hospital buildings shows that it was not a Kh-101 missile. Instead, it suspiciously resembles ammunition used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the NASAMS air defense systems supplied by Norway. This is one of the modifications of the AIM-120, converted to a ground-to-air variant.

Ukrainian public channels reported that the Ukrainian air defense system was operating from the direction of the Zhulyany airfield, which had been hit several times that day. It is suggested that the NASAMS crew fired several missiles to intercept the Russian attack, and at least one of these missiles, failing to find a target in the air, self-destructed and fell to the ground. It is also possible that the missile exploded in the air a few meters before reaching the hospital building, creating a shrapnel field characteristic of an anti-aircraft missile. Kyiv residents displayed shrapnel fragments that were identified as elements of an air defense missile.

Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya stated that the missile that hit the children’s hospital in Kyiv was launched from a NASAMS system, presumably supplied by Norway. He expressed his expectation for a response from Norwegian authorities on whether they sanctioned the use of this missile to strike a children’s hospital and its placement in residential areas in violation of international humanitarian law.

The NASAMS (National/Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System) is a medium-range air defense system produced by the American company Raytheon in collaboration with Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. The system is designed to combat aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles.

On July 8, explosions were heard in Kyiv, with authorities reporting the activation of air defense systems and falling debris in several districts. The head of Kyiv’s military administration, Serhiy Popko, reported the deaths of 33 people and nearly 120 injuries following the explosions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote about the destruction of the “Okhmatdet” children’s hospital in the Shevchenkivskyi district of the city. According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, two people were killed and 32 injured, including eight children.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that on the morning of July 8, the military struck Ukraine’s military-industrial facilities and airbases in response to attempts by the Kyiv regime to damage Russian energy and economic facilities. The ministry called Ukraine’s claims of deliberate strikes on civilian targets in Kyiv false.

The ministry reported that photos and videos taken in Kyiv “clearly confirm the destruction caused by the fall of a Ukrainian air defense missile launched from a missile system within the city.” Nebenzya also stated that footage from Kyiv shows “five missiles from the Russian Aerospace Forces hitting the Artem plant without any interference or damage.” He added that it also shows “a lone Ukrainian air defense missile” hitting the area near the children’s hospital.