America News Agency

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that the incident was caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Peskov emphasized that Russia " does not hit civilian targets" and that all strikes carried out by the Russian military target only "critical infrastructure facilities and military targets that are somehow related to the military potential of the regime."

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Monday that it had launched a large-scale offensive using long-range, high-precision weapons to strike Ukrainian military-industrial facilities and aviation bases. It said the strike responded to Kyiv's continued attempts to damage Russian energy and economic facilities.

The ministry said all intended targets were hit and dismissed as "absolutely untrue" Kyiv's claims that Russian missiles hit civilian facilities.

"Numerous photos and video footage released from Kyiv confirm the fact of destruction caused by the fall of a Ukrainian air defence missile launched from an anti-aircraft missile system inside the city," the ministry said.

The ministry also accused Kyiv of making similar "hysterical" attempts in the past, especially in the run-up to major international summits, such as the NATO meeting that began in Washington on Tuesday. The Russian Defense Ministry suggested that Ukrainian authorities used the incident in Okhmatdet to ensure continued funding and the continuation of the conflict.

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov also suggested that the hospital tragedy was seen by Kyiv's Western backers as a "perfect gift" to justify the further escalation of the conflict and the continuation of hostilities.

Antonov claimed that the Western media was "fueling hysteria" and concealing facts about the tragedy, including Moscow's assessment that a Ukrainian air defence missile caused the incident.

Pro-Kiev media outlets claimed that the weapon that hit the hospital was a Russian air-launched Kh-101 cruise missile. But others argued that the projectile, visible in a video shot remotely by an eyewitness, was likely an AIM120 fired by the NASAM missile system or an interceptor fired by the MIM-104 Patriot missile system. Western donors are allegedly supplying Ukraine with such weapons developed by the United States.