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Who fired the missile that hit Przewodów?
Summary
A look back at the questions raised by the deadly missile blast in eastern Poland, as attribution shifted on 16 November 2022.
Who was responsible for the missile that killed two people in eastern Poland? That was the question hanging over Western capitals on 16 November 2022, a day after the blast in the village of Przewodów.
As reported at the time, the missile strike on 15 November killed two people in the village. 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.
Conflicting first accounts
The incident came during Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Ukraine initially accused Russia of striking Poland, while the United States said the missile was likely to have been fired by Ukrainian forces in defence against a Russian missile.
The village lies near the border with Ukraine. The incident was the first time a foreign missile had hit NATO territory during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The later finding
The US assessment 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.
