Russian Ch‑101 missile wreckage found near Kyiv children's hospital

Ukrainian services found the wreckage of a Russian missile in Kyiv, specifically near the Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital. This is evidence confirming precisely what weapon the Russians used in the shelling.

Russian armed forces once again targeted deadly missiles at civilian buildings in Ukraine. This time, the target of the Russian Federation was the Kyiv children's hospital. Earlier, Wirtualna Polska journalist Przemysław Juraszek analysed which specific weapon the aggressor's army could have used during the attack; now there are photos showing remnants of Russian ammunition found in Kyiv.

The findings indicate that the Russians used one of the newest designs currently in their arsenal – the Ch-101 missile. It was fragments of this weapon (particularly the rear part of its fuselage) that Ukrainian services identified near the Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital.

The Ch-101 found in Kyiv is a missile continuously developed by the Russian Federation. Currently, the fourth version is in use, although there is no evidence confirming that it was this generation that the Russians fired to strike Kyiv.

The first version of the Ch-101 was equipped with a basic optical system based on a single lens and had one warhead. In the second version, the Russians improved the optical system by adding two more lenses and a jamming defence system. The third version of the Ch-101 was enhanced in terms of offensive capabilities by adding a second warhead. The latest, fourth version of the Ch-101 also includes two warheads, but one of them is a cluster warhead.

Let's remember that the Ch-101 missiles are one of the greatest threats to Ukrainians that the Russian Federation possesses. This is because this missile is characterised by high strike precision. This is ensured by the Otblesk-U guidance module, which compares the view from above (during flight) with the one stored in the weapon's memory before launch. Thanks to this, the Ch-101 hits with an accuracy of up to a few meters.

The range of the Ch-101 is also significant. According to available sources, it can reach up to 4,988 kilometres, but since the Russian Federation does not need such a long range to shell Ukraine, it may have been reduced in favour of enhancing the warheads. These, in the fourth generation of the Ch-101, pose a significant threat to Ukrainians.

This mainly results from the presence of the cluster warhead, which functions by scattering dozens of smaller submunitions over a large area during a diving flight. The modernised Ch-101 missile likely contains about 60 small submunitions. However, it is worth noting that there is no certainty that this version of the missile with the cluster warhead was used in the attack on the Kyiv hospital. The wreckage only confirms that the Russians used the Ch-101, but there is no evidence confirming that it was the fourth version of this missile, which can accelerate to about 1,000 km/h.