Russia attacks Ukraine with missiles it received from Kyiv for gas debts — Schemes

Journalists of the Schemes project have found that during missile attacks, the Russian army uses Kh-55 missiles, handed over to Russia by Ukraine in 1999 for gas debts.

This is stated in their new investigation.

The journalists analysed the text of the agreement and the list of missile serial numbers and compared them with the numbers of missiles used by the Russian army to attack Ukraine during the full-scale invasion.

They identified at least ten missiles that Russia launched at Ukrainian cities and which were on the list of missiles transferred to Russia.

Among these missiles were three that were shot down by Ukrainian air defence in January, May, and April 2023 in Kyiv and the region.

Another Kh-55 hit a high-rise building in the capital at the end of 2022, killing a woman. Another missile hit a house in the Kyiv region, injuring a child.

Other missiles were identified by journalists from photographs.

In 1999, the Ukrainian government, headed by Prime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko, signed an agreement with the Russian government, then headed by Vladimir Putin, to transfer eight Tu-160 and three Tu-95MS heavy bombers, as well as 575 Kh-55 cruise missiles to Russia. In return, Russia compensated Ukraine for its debt for Russian gas in the amount of ₴275 million.

Photo: Schemes | Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty