FAKE: On May 12, 2024, Ukraine launched a direct missile strike on a civilian building in Belgorod

On May 12, 2024, an entire section of a multi-story building was destroyed in Belgorod. Russian propaganda immediately spread accusations on various social media platforms, including Threads, claiming that Ukraine attacked civilians.

However, this is fake. Photos and videos show that the strike came from Russian territory.

Russia voiced different versions of the event. There was confusion about the weapon used. For example, after the destruction, they claimed it was a strike from a “Vilha” MLRS. Later, they said the destruction was caused by an aviation attack from the Sumy region, allegedly using Western bombs. Information also appeared about the supposed use of the Czech “Vampire” MLRS or the French “AASM HAMMER” bomb. The final version was announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense. They claimed that the destruction of part of the building in Belgorod was allegedly the result of intercepting a Ukrainian missile attack. According to them, Russian air defense supposedly shot down a Ukrainian “Tochka-U” missile, the debris of which fell and damaged the building.

Additionally, the Russians incorrectly identified the location of the building’s destruction. They changed the location of the strike several times. Initially, it was the southeastern part, i.e., from the Ukrainian border. Later, they changed it to the eastern part, from where it could allegedly have come from either Ukrainian or Russian territory.

According to the latest Russian version and the type of weapon allegedly used to attack Belgorod, it turns out that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would have had to enter Russian territory and strike from there. This is because none of the mentioned shells can change their trajectory during flight.

There were also reports of a launch site in Kozacha Lopan in the Kharkiv region. However, this settlement is located southwest of Belgorod. This does not match what the Russians previously showed and does not correspond to the location of the destruction.

In fact, they are lying in all these versions. The photos clearly show that the northeastern part of the building was destroyed. The impact occurred from the northeastern part of the building, where there is open land without dense buildings. Ukraine could not have struck the building from that side because the border is south of the building.

Additionally, “Militarnyi” reports that debris from an S-300 or S-400 missile was found in the ruins of the multi-story building in Belgorod, which the Russians tried to pass off as a “Tochka-U” missile. This suggests that Russian air defense may be positioned near residential areas, as Russian air defense missiles have repeatedly fallen on civilian buildings in this region. For example, in January 2024, a starting engine from a Russian “Pantsir” missile broke through the roof of a private house and flew into a child’s room. Malfunctioning Russian air bombs have also repeatedly fallen in Belgorod. Since March 2024, there have been 33 confirmed bomb drops on the region. A similar situation occurred in Belgorod in April 2023.