Belarus on December 29 summoned Ukraine's ambassador to lodge a protest over a Ukrainian air-defense missile that it says landed near the city of Brest in western Belarus.
"A strong protest was made in connection with the launch of an S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile from the territory of Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry in Minsk said, demanding that Ukraine “conduct a thorough investigation” and “hold those responsible to account.”
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
There were no casualties in the incident, which came as Ukraine was under a huge missile attack that was largely repelled by Kyiv's air defenses.
Ukraine does not rule out that the missile that fell in Belarus could have been fired by Russian forces to provoke Belarus, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said.
"The Ukrainian side is aware of the Kremlin's desperate and persistent efforts to involve Belarus in its aggressive war against Ukraine," the ministry said. "In this regard, the Ukrainian side does not rule out deliberate provocation by the terrorist state of Russia."
Ukraine is ready to conduct an objective investigation in Ukraine and invite experts who are not supporting Russia to participate, the Defense Ministry added.
The Belarusian Defense Ministry said earlier that its air defenses had shot down a Ukrainian S-300 missile in the Brest border region on December 29.
“In the course of verification activities, it has been preliminarily established that the wreckage belongs to the S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile launched from the territory of Ukraine," the Belarusian Defense Ministry said.
People heard the explosion and later found the metallic remains of what appeared to be a rocket in a field. The debris fell on the outskirts of the village of Harbakha, and the nearest house was 66 meters away, Belarus's official news agency, BelTA, reported.
A witness told RFE/RL’s Belarus Service that there was a sharp sound, like an explosion.
“Our windows were shaking and the house was vibrating from what must have been a sound wave," the witness told RFE/RL.
BelTA said Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka was promptly informed about the incident, which raised concerns that the conflict could expand. Belarus served as a staging ground for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A Telegram channel affiliated with the presidential press service said earlier that the S-300 was an air-defense missile that could have veered off course accidentally.