Another Ukrainian missile went astray yesterday, this time landing in a farm field in the Brest region of Belarus after being shot down by Belarusian air defenses. A preliminary examination revealed that the pieces had been part of an S-300 air defense guided missile fired from Ukraine’s territory, reported the official Belarus news agency BelTA. It had been detected entering Belarusian airspace at about 10 a.m. local time before it was shot down. Unlike the Nov. 15 incident in Poland, no one was killed this time.
The incident was nonetheless taken very seriously in Minsk. “Today, Belarus’ air defenses have shot down a Ukrainian S-300 missile over the territory of Belarus. This is a very serious incident. Belarus takes this issue very earnestly,” said Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz. “In this regard, Ambassador of Ukraine Igor Kizim has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus today to receive a strong démarche. We demanded that Ukraine conduct a thorough investigation into all the circumstances of this missile launch, hold those responsible to account and take comprehensive measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future, as they can lead to catastrophic consequences for everyone.”
Glaz was asked whether any of the Ukrainian diplomats were declared persona non grata. “No, this matter has not been discussed today,” he said.
