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Who fired the missile that hit Przewodów?
Summary
A retrospective on the Polish village strike and the early attribution that followed, set against nationwide Russian missile attacks on Ukraine.
Who was responsible for the missile that killed two people in eastern Poland? That question dominated security coverage on 16 November 2022, the day after the blast in the village of Przewodów.
What happened on 15 November
A missile strike killed two people in Przewodów, close to the Ukrainian border. Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the weapon was a Russian-made missile and summoned the Russian ambassador to provide an explanation.
The blast came on a day when Russian missiles struck several cities across Ukraine, Kyiv among them. The attacks caused what was described as critical damage to energy facilities.
The attribution shifts
U.S. officials had earlier told the Associated Press that preliminary findings suggested the missile that hit Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile. The President of the United States, Joe Biden, then said the blast was caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile.
Background compiled later gives the wider picture. The incident was the first time a foreign missile had hit NATO territory during the Russian invasion. Ukraine initially accused Russia of striking Poland, while Washington's assessment pointed to a Ukrainian interceptor. In September 2023, Poland's Prosecutor's Office later confirmed that the explosion was caused by an out-of-control Ukrainian S-300 air defence missile.
A separate announcement on 14 November
On 14 November 2022, the United Kingdom announced it was withdrawing its troops from Mali. London cited political instability and the controversial relationship between the military junta led by Assimi Goïta and Russia's Wagner Group.
Why the day mattered
The sequence showed how quickly an incident near the border could raise questions about responsibility. A Polish statement that the missile was Russian-made, followed within hours by U.S. findings pointing to a Ukrainian air defence missile, left the question of fault open on 16 November 2022. It was answered only in later official findings.
