Russian general identified as orchestrator of deadly Kyiv Children's Hospital strike, indicted by Ukraine
A devastating missile strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv, Ohmatdyt, was orchestrated by Lieutenant General Sergey Kobylash, according to Ukraine's Security Service (SBU). The SBU and the Prosecutor General's Office have indicted the Russian general in absentia for commanding the assault.
Lieutenant General Sergey Kobylash, who at the time led Russia's Long-Range Aviation, directed the catastrophic strike. This announcement came from SBU Deputy Head Serhiy Naumuk during a meeting with International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan and Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.
Following this heinous act, Kobylash received a promotion and was appointed commander of the Russian Air Force. The investigation revealed that on July 8, 2024, at 09:15, a Russian Tu-95MS bomber launched an X-101 missile targeting the Ohmatdyt pediatric hospital in Kyiv. The attack was executed by the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of Russia's Aerospace Forces.
The bomber took off from an airfield near Olenegorsk, Russia, and launched the missile over Saratov Oblast, approximately 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The missile entered Ukrainian airspace over Chernihiv Oblast, maneuvering through four different regions to evade Ukrainian air defenses.
Programmed to bypass Ukrainian air defense systems, the X-101 missile struck the pediatric hospital's intensive care and detox therapy unit at approximately 10:45.
The attack resulted in two fatalities, including a pediatric nephrologist, and injured 35 others, nine of whom were children. Law enforcement discovered missile fragments bearing markings indicating they were manufactured by Russia's Raduga Design Bureau in Q2 2024.
Based on the collected evidence, SBU investigators filed charges against Kobylash for war crimes, specifically the violation of laws and customs of war combined with premeditated murder, committed by a group of individuals by prior conspiracy (Article 28, Part 2 and Article 438, Part 2 of Ukraine's Criminal Code), punishable by life imprisonment.
Kobylash is also suspected of other war crimes in Ukraine, including attacks on civilian energy infrastructure in 2022-2023. In March 2024, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Kobylash's arrest on these grounds.
Russia conducted a massive attack on Ukraine on July 8. One of the targets was Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv.