No, Ukraine did not bomb its own children’s hospital in Kyiv

Context

On July 8, 2024, the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv was struck, causing significant damage to the facility. The attack resulted in the deaths of two people and left 50 people, including seven children, injured.

Numerous other structures in Kyiv, including houses, schools, and essential power and water facilities, were also attacked, resulting in at least 41 additional deaths and more than 170 injuries.

This incident occurred amid heightened tensions and increased hostilities in the region, coinciding with the lead-up to a crucial NATO summit scheduled for July 9 to July 11, 2024.

Following this, a claim has emerged on social media suggesting that Ukraine bombed its own children's hospital to gain sympathy before a NATO meeting.

A post featuring this claim was shared on X and has gained substantial traction, amassing over 18,600 views (archived here). 

A few other users also blamed Ukraine for bombing its own hospital in different posts, one of which gained over 38,000 views (archived here), while another garnered over 21,000 views (archived here).

In fact

Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv was damaged by Russian missile strikes, not by Ukrainian forces. Specifically, investigative outfit Bellingcat identified a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile as the weapon that struck the hospital.

A screenshot taken from a video captures the missile just before impact. (Source: Telegram)

This conclusion was reached by analyzing debris found at the site and comparing it to known components and specifications of the Kh-101 missile. Additionally, Bellingcat analyzed video footage of the missile strike, which further corroborated the identification by matching the flight characteristics and impact pattern of the Kh-101.

"There are images of remains of Kh-101 subsonic cruise missile lodged in ruins of the hospital available in open access, so there is no further need to seek evidence that Russia launched the missile. Ukraine does not have such missiles," Dr. Huseyn Aliyev, an expert in civil war dynamics and security in Ukraine and Russia with extensive fieldwork and publications on post-communist societies, confirmed to Logically Facts.

Kh-101 launch, 2015. (Source: Russia MoD)

Moreover, the July 2024 NATO summit in Washington was already set to focus on reinforcing support for Ukraine through enhanced military, political, and financial aid and further integrating Ukraine into NATO structures before the Okhmatdyt hospital bombing.

The Russian Ministry of Defense denies targeting the hospital, claiming fragments of a Ukrainian air defense missile hit it. They stated that Russian missiles targeted only "military industry facilities and Ukrainian Air Force air bases." The Ministry did not provide any evidence to support these claims.

The narrative that Ukraine would bomb its own hospital is part of a broader misinformation campaign often propagated by Russian sources to deflect blame and create confusion. Such tactics have been used previously to undermine the credibility of the affected nation and manipulate international perception.

"Russia has constantly accused Ukraine over the past 2.5 years of launching attacks on itself without providing any evidence and without managing to explain how it is technically possible for Ukraine to strike targets with Russian missiles launched from Russian strategic bombers over Russian territory," Dr. Aliyev explained.

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia has carried out numerous attacks on healthcare facilities. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed more than 1,000 attacks on healthcare in Ukraine from the beginning of the invasion in February 2022 through May 2023. These attacks have resulted in at least 101 deaths, including healthcare workers and patients, and have significantly hindered access to medical care for Ukrainian civilians.

According to a Physicians for Human Rights report, in 2022 alone, there were 707 documented attacks on health facilities, clinics, ambulances, and medical personnel. This report highlights that nearly one in every ten hospitals in Ukraine has been directly damaged by attacks, with significant destruction in regions like Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Kyiv.

Through the years, Russia has frequently denied targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, claiming that its military operations are aimed at military or strategic sites. It has accused Ukraine of staging attacks to garner international sympathy.

The verdict

The claim that Ukraine bombed its own children's hospital in Kyiv to gain sympathy before a NATO meeting is false. Multiple credible sources confirm that a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile damaged the hospital. The missile strikes on civilian infrastructure are consistent with ongoing Russian military actions against Ukraine. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.