Russian missile causes collapse of Belgorod building — OSINT analysts
A Russian munition, not a Ukrainian one, destroyed a section of a high-rise apartment building in Belgorod, Russia, Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) reported on May 13.
Ruslan Leviev, a co-founder of CIT, mentioned that his team analyzed visual materials published in the media.
"We have concluded that it is highly likely the house was struck from the northeast, and we are inclined to believe it was either an anti-aircraft guided missile from a Russian air defense system or an accidental bomb drop from a Russian aircraft," the statement said.
Read also: Explosion triggers fatal collapse in Belgorod, Russia — video
Leviev added that the Russian propagandists' claim that a missile from Ukraine's Tochka-U could have altered its trajectory due to an air defense missile, striking this side of the house, seems unlikely to the investigators.
It's still unclear what type of munition caused such destruction. They speculate that the warhead of a guided missile, possibly from an S-300 system, could be enough to collapse a section of a high-rise building.
Read also: SBU drones target oil depot in Belgorod Oblast and substation in Lipetsk, NV sources report
"Another fairly obvious possibility is an accidental release of a FAB-250 or FAB-500 from Russian aircraft," he said.
"There is no doubt that an air bomb can cause such large-scale destruction, and incidents of bombs falling on Belgorod and its region are not uncommon. This theory is supported by reports that bombs were launched at Kharkiv Oblast shortly before the explosion."
Destruction of a residential high-rise building in Belgorod Oblast
A section of a ten-story residential building collapsed in Belgorod on May 12. At that time, an air raid alert was declared in the city, and air defense systems were activated. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov immediately stated that the entranceway collapsed due to a "direct hit."
Read also: CCD suggests Belgorod building collapse accusations against Ukraine could be Russian provocation
Russian media reported that 15 people died in the collapse of the building.
Later, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the high-rise building in Belgorod collapsed due to falling fragments of a Tochka-U missile that was shot down by Russian air defenses. Russia accused Ukraine of attacking Belgorod with the Tochka-U missile system and the Vilkha and RM-70 Vampire multiple launch rocket systems.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, suggested that the destruction of a section of the high-rise building in Belgorod might be a Russian provocation. He stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had no involvement in the collapse of the building in Belgorod.
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