Reuters reported that on December 29, Belarus announced that it had shot down a Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft missile in the field, in the context of Russia conducting one of the most intense airstrikes on Ukraine since the start of the war in February.
Brest Provincial Military Commissioner Oleg Konovalov recorded the incident in a video posted by Belarus' BelTA news agency on social media, saying local people "had absolutely nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, these things have happened."
He compared the incident to the incident in November, when a lost Ukrainian S-300 missile fell into the territory of NATO member Poland.
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Minsk has been summoned to the Belarus Foreign Ministry to receive an official protest.
"Belarus considers the incident extremely serious," said Belarus Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz. We demand that the Ukrainian side conduct a thorough investigation to hold those behind the scenes accountable and take comprehensive measures to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future."
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has said it is ready to invite competent experts from "non-Russian" countries to investigate the incident, which it believes was the result of repelling a Russian missile attack on civilian targets.
"Ukraine reserves the right to preserve and protect its airspace unconditionally, and is ready to conduct an objective investigation in Ukraine," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry statement said.
Ukraine has not ruled out "intentional Provocation" in which Russia launched cruise missiles on the orbit where they would be intercepted in Belarus.
A Ukrainian military spokesman has also admitted that the missile was a lost Ukrainian missile, saying the incident was "not strange, it was the result of air defense" and something "has happened many times".
The S-300 is a Soviet-era air defense system used by both Russia and Ukraine.
Belarus said the missile fell near the village of Harbacha in Brest province, about 15km from the border with Ukraine, at around 10am (7:00 GMT) on December 29.
According to the Belarus Defense Ministry, the debris found in a field belonged to an S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile fired from Ukrainian territory.
The missile got lost while Russia was conducting its latest missile attack on cities across Ukraine. The Ministry of National Defense said more than 18 residential buildings and 10 key infrastructure targets in 10 areas were destroyed.
BelTA released photos and videos of what it said were parts of the S-300 missile lying on an empty lot.
Belarus is an ally of Russia and has had more and more joint military activities between Russia and Belarus in Belarus in recent months.
However, Minsk insists it is not taking part in the war and will not participate unless its own security is threatened by Ukraine or its Western allies.
