'Ukraine Is Shelling Itself': The Kremlin's Most Absurd Narrative

The logic of the narrative

Every time a Russian missile strikes a Ukrainian civilian target, Kremlin media repeat one of two claims:

1. “It was a Ukrainian air defence missile” — allegedly a shot-down missile fell on the city
2. “Ukraine shelled itself” — deliberately, to “blame Russia” and receive more weapons from the West

Why this is absurd

Munitions identification

After every strike, debris remains on site that allows precise identification of the missile type:

• Kh-101/Kh-555 — a strategic air-launched cruise missile. Exists only in Russia
• Kalibr — a sea-launched cruise missile. Exists only in Russia
• Iskander — a ballistic missile. Exists only in Russia
• Kh-22/Kh-32 — an anti-ship missile adapted for strikes against ground targets. Exists only in Russia
• KAB (guided air bomb) — exists only in Russia (Ukraine has no aircraft capable of dropping them)
• Shahed-136 (Geran-2) — an Iranian kamikaze drone. Ukraine does not produce or possess these

None of these weapon types exist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Trajectory

• Air defence systems record the direction and trajectory of every missile
• Missiles arrive from Russian territory, the Black Sea, or Russian airspace
• Strategic bombers Tu-95MS launching Kh-101 missiles have been recorded taking off from Russian airbases

Basic logic

If Ukraine “strikes itself” — then:

• Why does Ukraine ask the West for air defence systems (Patriot, NASAMS, IRIS-T)?
• Why expend scarce air defence missiles intercepting “its own” missiles?
• Why does Zelensky report attacks every night and ask for help?
• Why do “self-strikes” always coincide with confirmed launches of Russian missiles?

The history of this narrative

Russia has used this technique before:

• Chechnya, 1999 — apartment building explosions in Moscow were “blamed” on Chechens (though FSB agents were caught in Ryazan planting a bomb)
• Donbas, 2014–2022 — every strike from the “DNR/LNR” side was presented as “Ukraine firing on its own people”
• MH17, 2014 — Russia created dozens of versions (a Ukrainian missile, a Ukrainian plane, an internal explosion) — except the true one (a Russian Buk)
• Syria, 2015–present — strikes on hospitals were presented as “terrorist provocations”

Conclusion

“Ukraine shells itself” is a narrative for people who ask no questions. Every strike is identified by munition type (which Ukraine does not possess), trajectory (from Russian territory), and satellite data. This is not a debate — it is documented reality.