A misfired projectile fell in Przewodow, Poland that is suspected to have come from the S-300 defense system.
The S-300 anti-aircraft system was created in the Soviet Union and was initially used by Moscow in the late 1970s. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) states that Ukraine alone is said to have had over 250 S-300 systems not long before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
However, the calculation did not take the NATO inventory into account. These were made available to Ukraine by its allies ever since the conflict started.
“The S-300 is an easy system for Ukrainians to integrate,” the US think tank, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in October. However, it will be “difficult to find additional systems” to continue supporting Ukraine with further anti-aircraft defense systems, the CSIS said in an analysis of Western options.
There have been multiple attacks by Russia in Kyiv ever since Ukraine was given the S-300s. It is not clear how many units are left with them as the technical losses are not being reported by the country.
The Polish government states that the missile that killed two people on a farm in Przewodow, Poland, on Tuesday was a “very old Russian-made missile”. The missile was “most likely” fired by Ukraine, said Polish President Andrzej Duda. The ranges of the various land-based S-300 systems range from 75 to 195 kilometers (47 to 121 miles).
The western end of Ukraine has been constantly under attack by Russia. This includes the Ukrainian Yavoriv military base, along with the energy infrastructure. Yavoriv is situated in Przewodow which was the westernmost military base in the Soviet Union until the end of the Cold War. The origin of the misfire is still not revealed.
In a press conference on Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he “did not want to go into detail because the investigation is ongoing.” It is also not sure if the shrapnel from a Russian attack missile had also been found along with the missile that is thought to be fired by Ukraine. It is also a theory that the misfired missile from Ukraine was intercepted by the NATO protective shield in south-eastern Poland.