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Who fired the missile that hit Przewodów?
Summary
A retrospective on 17 November 2022, two days after a missile killed two people in eastern Poland and the question of its origin drew attention.
Who fired the missile that killed two people in a Polish village? By 17 November 2022, two days after the blast in Przewodów in eastern Poland, the question had a working answer from Washington, though the matter was not formally closed.
The strike came on 15 November 2022, during Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Przewodów lies near the border with Ukraine. Initially, Ukraine accused Russia of striking Poland.
The United States offered a different reading. U.S. officials had told the Associated Press that preliminary findings suggested the missile was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile. President of the United States Joe Biden then said the blast was caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile.
A first for NATO territory
The incident was the first time a foreign missile had hit NATO territory during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is why the attribution mattered so much in the days that followed.
What came later
The preliminary U.S. view was later confirmed. In September 2023, the Polish Prosecutor's Office stated that the explosion was caused by an out-of-control Ukrainian S-300 air-defence missile.
