Bellingcat releases investigation into russian X-101 strike on Okhmatdet. The X Mask network now marks it as dangerous content
Kyiv • UNN
Bellingcat's investigation, using 3D modeling and expert analysis, proving that Okhmatdyt in Ukraine was hit by a russian X-101 cruise missile, is labeled as dangerous spam by the X network.
Analysis of open-source evidence, as well as the opinions of specialized experts, indicate that the Okhmatdyt was hit by an X-101 cruise missile launched by russia. This refutes the statements of pro-russian sources and figures who denied their responsibility and tried to shift the blame for the incident to Ukraine. UNN reports this with reference to an investigation by Bellingcat.
Details
After the attack on the children's hospital, several social media accounts known for spreading disinformation, including the russian ministry of foreign affairs, began claiming that the missile was American-made and that it was launched from a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile system.
However, Bellingcat's analysis, using footage from social media and a 3D model of the missile, indicates that the munition is a russian X-101 cruise missile. The analysis is in line with the opinion of experts, including Fabian Hoffman, a doctoral researcher at the University of Oslo who specializes in missile technology.
In an email to Bellingcat, Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear weapons and missile expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, also concluded that the footage of the attack posted on social media shows an X-101 missile.
Russians hit Okhmatdyt with X-101 missile - YermakJul 8 2024, 11:53 AM • 28680 views
Bellingcat also checked an alternative theory that appeared on the Internet that the missile was a US AIM-120, but found no evidence of this.
It is noted that the attack on the hospital was part of a larger russian missile attack that hit civilian targets elsewhere in Ukraine, including the city of Dnipro. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the attack began at approximately 10:00 am local time and involved at least 36 missiles, including 13 X-101 cruise missiles.
Analysis of the video of the missile strike
Shortly before noon, reports of an explosion at the Okhmatdyt children's hospital began to appear. These reports were followed by video footage on Telegram showing a rocket hitting the hospital.
The video clearly shows the missile that hit the hospital. It has a number of features, including what appears to be a jet engine at the rear, as well as two short wings near the middle of the missile.
These are the distinctive features of the X-101 cruise missile used exclusively by the russian armed forces. A comparison of the screenshot of the missile that hit the hospital with a 3D rendering of the X-101 missile shows that they do indeed have these features.
The video overlay of the two images above also demonstrates the coincidence of the characteristics and proportions of the X-101 3D model and the missile that hit the hospital.
Remnants of missiles
After the strike, the SBU published three images that claimed to show the remnants of the munition that hit the hospital. They stated that preliminary findings indicate that it was an X-101, which appears to be consistent with the aforementioned video footage.
Another image showing a yellow panel with the numbers "2983" appears to correspond to what is described in the same identification manual as the Kh-101 engine cover (p. 28, fig. 22). The reference image from the manual has another fragment that gives a more complete view of the serial number.
The Telegram account, ves.rf, which has over 56,000 followers, reportedly made a post attempting to justify russia for the attack. The post claimed that the missile that hit the hospital was an AIM-120. At the same time, ves.rf also covered up the strike, claiming that the children's hospital was located right next to the State Aviation Service of Ukraine. This would seem to undermine its earlier claims that it was not a Russian missile that hit the hospital.
However, Bellingcat created a second 3D model representing an AIM-120 missile to test this theory. When comparing this model to the images of the missile that hit the hospital, factors such as the mismatch of the AIM-120's front stabilizers were evident. In addition, the nose of the AIM-120 is much sharper than the missile in the video of the hospital strike. Perhaps most noticeable is the absence of any component on the AIM-120 that corresponds to the jet engine seen at the rear of the missile in the video.
Add
This Bellingcat investigation quickly spread on Elon Musk's social network X, but users noticed that the material was labeled as dangerous or spam.
In X, Bellingcat founder Elliot Higgins asked who this material was potentially dangerous for: "Dangerous for whom, putin?" he wrote.
Recall
More than 30 parts and fragments of the X-101 cruise missile that hit the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv have been identified by experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise.
According to the Western press, russia continues to buy Western microelectronics for its missiles, bypassing sanctions. Not least because of this, the production of X-101 cruise missiles, one of which hit the Okhmatdyt children's hospital, has increased eightfold since the start of the full-scale invasion.
UN says it is "highly likely" that a Russian missile hit OkhmatdytJul 9 2024, 01:28 PM • 25863 views
