Russia's defense ministry on Monday denied responsibility for a missile that hit a Kyiv residential building over the weekend, saying it was likely caused by a failure of Ukraine's air defense system.
Missiles struck the Ukrainian capital Kyiv for the first time in weeks on Sunday. Ukraine said an apartment block and a site close to a kindergarten were hit, with US President Joe Biden saying the attacks were more evidence of Russia's "barbarism" in its offensive against Ukraine.
In a statement, the Russian defense ministry said on Monday it had fired four missiles that hit their target, an arms factory in Kyiv.
However, the ministry said it believed a Ukrainian Buk missile defense system by mistake intercepted a Ukrainian-fired S-300 air defense missile which then "fell on a residential building."
Russia's view of events
"The regime in Kyiv attempted to intercept Russian high-precision missiles with anti-aircraft weapons stationed in the city," the defense ministry said.
Instead, "due to the lack of coupling of air defense systems and radio equipment launchers located in urban areas, two S-300 anti-aircraft missiles were shot down in the air by Ukrainian Buks. Presumably one of the downed anti-aircraft missiles fell on a residential building."
Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilian areas, in what it calls a special military operation, despite widespread images of destroyed residential buildings and a UN estimate that at least 4,731 civilians have been killed since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion.