A rocket is extremely dangerous not only because of the destructive effect of the warheads. Their propulsion stages can also endanger people directly, as they can land anywhere after being separated from the actual explosive device. Due to the sheer size and weight, there is also a great potential for danger here, especially for civilians.
Not funny
Such a drive stage ended up in the kitchen sink of an apartment near Kharkiv. When Ukrainian citizens find a rocket in their kitchen sink on the way to their morning coffee, it may seem funny and bizarre to the uninvolved observer, but to those affected it is the bitter reality of war. There is no security whatsoever.
What's that in the kitchen sink?
Another video is circulating on the networks that at first glance seems completely absurd. According to the Daily Mail, it was recorded on March 20th ( HERE ).
An object that looks like a rocket towers over a man's height from the base of a kitchen sink. A long, narrow metallic cylinder with four short stubby wings. You can see a hole in the ceiling that roughly corresponds to the diameter of the cylinder. There are also four narrow cracks that appear to have been caused by the short wings. The apartment resident who entered his kitchen after the impact probably received the shock of his life, beyond the horror of war. And the uninvolved viewer of the images, which are available from different perspectives, also rubs their eyes and tries to discover evidence that the image was manipulated with an image editing program.
Video is real – rocket stuck in kitchen sink
The British Daily Mail shows a TikTok video ( HERE ) with a scene of a DSNS/ДСНС team from Ukraine clearing the remains of the rocket from the apartment. The place is probably Derhachi in the north of Kharkiv. At least that's what the original caption of the video says, but it can't be verified. However, since Charkiv was a target of Russian cluster munitions, this location sounds quite plausible. The people in the video are a team from the State Emergency Situations Service (DSNS/ДСНС). This Ukrainian authority includes civil protection and the fire department ( HERE ).
The video consists of two parts. In the first part, a door is opened and the camera first shows the rocket in the sink, then turns left to the window and back to the rocket. Through the window you can see an empty street, lined with low-rise buildings on the left and right.
In the Daily Mail's online article, the video appears again without an English language edit and reveals more information in Ukrainian ( ( HERE ).) There is writing over the first part of the video that translates as follows:
““After the shooter in the Dergachs (Харьковская область)”
(Translation via Google Translate)
Consequences of the shelling in Dergachi (Kharkiv region)”
The exact location cannot be verified, but the view from the window of low-rise construction along the street at least does not contradict the terrain view shown on Google Maps for Derhachi, a town of 18,000 people just north of Kharkiv.
The place is characterized by long, parallel streets with single-family houses. Tall residential buildings, towers, etc. are barely visible on Google Maps. In the second part of the video you can see a group of men wearing dark blue jackets with the words DSNS/ДСНС on the back.
This identifies her as an employee of the State Civil Protection. They shake the rocket hard, presumably to see if it can be removed. Many comments discuss this strong shaking, sometimes with surprise and sometimes with amusement. However, it can be assumed that these are experienced employees who know that the explosive part of the rocket is long gone and that it is just an empty metal tube. The red box in the video translates
“Please pay attention to the night, and maybe the day will come”
Private translation
Come to us for an overnight stay, we have “fun” every day.
Apparently a very sarcastic remark from the person concerned who posted the video online on TikTok.
The rocket
The rocket in the sink is presumably the remains (engine and tail unit) of a Smerch or Smertsch 9M55 rocket ( HERE ). The rocket is fired, for example, from the Russian Federation's BM-30 multiple rocket launcher system. However, other vehicles can also be used. This type of rocket is sold in various countries, with Ukraine also having such rockets in service (as of 2018) ( HERE ).
These rockets can carry, among other things, cluster bomb ammunition, but also ammunition against armored targets.
Information about internationally banned cluster bomb ammunition
It goes without saying that this type of ammunition is not intended to attack a very specific target, but rather is designed for maximum damage in a larger area and thus primarily affects the civilian population in populated areas.
For this reason, the indiscriminate effect in populated areas, cluster munitions are also banned and outlawed under international humanitarian law, the law of war ( HERE ), as they do not differentiate between military targets and civilian targets. However, Russia and Ukraine have not signed these international agreements (HERE). More information about cluster bomb ammunition can be found in the fact sheet from Handicap international ( HERE ).
In a report, Human Rights Watch vividly described an attack by Russian troops on Kharkiv with cluster munitions ( HERE ). The fact checkers at Bellingcat have discussed the use of cluster munitions in general in a video and also show specific examples in Ukraine ( HERE ).
Sightings of “used” rockets are quite common, but rarely as spectacular as in the kitchen sink.
Conclusion
Even if the location and day cannot be clearly verified, due to the current circumstances in Ukraine it seems very likely that the video, i.e. of a rocket that landed in the kitchen sink, is real. The place named Derhachi is located north of Kharkiv.
Since it was obviously only the engine and tail unit of the rocket and there was no longer any explosive charge, the shaking of the Ukrainian disaster control team's defusing teams, which at first glance seemed spectacular, is not seen as a problem.
The opening in the roof corresponds to the outline of the rocket and its wings. In the current situation in Ukraine, the rockets not only pose a danger because of their, in this case particularly destructive, cargo, but the actual rocket can also become a real danger to people if it falls to the ground after its flight.
You might also be interested in: Fake CNN tweet with a hotel in Serbia
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

