The missile that hit Poland Tuesday is now suspected to be a misfired Ukrainian air-defense missile, according to a Wednesday Associated Press article.
Landing near the Poland-Ukraine border, the missile hit a grain silo in the Polish village Przewodow, killing two residents, according to a Wednesday New York Times article.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the missile had been Russian, but issued a correction Wednesday.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, during a Wednesday news conference, said there is no indication that the blast was a deliberate attack but the investigation remains ongoing.
The preliminary analysis by NATO suggests the missile was likely a Ukrainian defense missile that was launched to defend against Russian cruise missiles.
Russia has been bombarding Ukraine’s power grid, leaving 1.4 million households without power, according to an Oct. 20 NPR article.
“Let me be clear, this is not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said during the news conference.
During a meeting broadcast on Ukrainian TV, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he does not believe the missile was Ukrainian, according to a Wednesday NPR article.
Russia’s United Nation representative Vasily Nebenzya said during Wednesday’s Security Council meeting that this is not the first time Ukraine’s air-defense system has been linked to civilian deaths.
Nebenzya reminded the council of times Ukraine has shot down passenger planes.
Both Siberia Airlines flight 1812 in 2001 and Malaysian Air flight MH17 in 2014 were mistakenly shot down by Ukraine, according to a July 17, 2014 Vox article.
Nebenzya said the tragedy could have been avoided if the West had encouraged Ukraine to make peace, instead of supplying them with weapons.
He also said Russia would not have had to make precision strikes to weaken the Ukrainian military.
SJSU political science lecturer Sabrina Pinnell said in an email that this incident is likely to cause pressure on both Russia and Ukraine to negotiate.
Pinnell said however, she doesn’t think there will be a willingness to go about that seriously.
She said there may be more aid offered to Ukraine for a missile shield.
