After finding a missile on the territory of Belarus, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense offered to cooperate in the investigation of the incident. A ministry statement released tonight in Kyiv said the agency was ready for an “objective investigation into the incident”.
State media in the Belarusian capital Minsk reported that a missile launched by the S-300 air defense system landed in Belarusian territory this morning.
The Ministry of Defense in Kyiv pointed out that Ukraine was attacked by a wave of Russian cruise missiles today. “Therefore, a provocation by the terrorist state of Russia, which chose a flight path for its cruise missiles in such a way as to provoke their launch into the airspace over Belarus, cannot be ruled out,” he said. It would be an incident similar to the one in November, when Polish territory was hit.
Note of protest to the Ukrainian ambassador
Belarus’ longtime ruler Alexander Lukashenko was briefed on the incident. Shortly thereafter, the Ukrainian ambassador in Minsk was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he received a note protesting the incident.
Belarus is not directly involved in the hostilities in Ukraine. However, Lukashenko gave Russian troops military bases in the country for attacks on Ukraine. Concerns are growing in Ukraine that Russia could launch a new attack from Belarus. The discovery of a missile could be used by Belarus and Russia as an excuse to act again from there.