Russia is very concerned about the fall of a Ukrainian S-300 missile in Belarus

FLY – Government Russia said on Friday (12/30/2022) that he was very concerned S-300 anti-aircraft missile the Ukrainian who was shot down after flying into the airspace of a close ally; Belarus, Thursday.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that its air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian S-300 surface-to-air missile near the village of Harbacha in the Brest region, about 15 kilometers from the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.

It came as Russia launched dozens of missiles at cities across Ukraine in one of the conflict’s major attack waves.

“This is an incident that causes extreme concern, not only for us, but also for our Belarusian partners,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow’s first public comments on the incident, as quoted Reuters.

Read also: The Ukrainian S-300 missile crashes in Belarusian territory

The S-300 is a Soviet-era air defense system used by Russia and Ukraine. In November, a missile believed to be deflected after being fired from a Ukrainian S-30 air defense system, including during a massive Russian missile strike, landed on NATO member Poland, sparking escalation fears that were quickly defused.

Belarus allowed Moscow to use its territory in February as a staging post for Russian troops and equipment at the start of what Russia called a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

There has also been an intensification of military activity from Moscow and Minsk in Belarus in recent months.

Peskov on Friday stressed the close military ties between the two countries, saying the two countries are in constant dialogue and coordination.

Minsk, however, insists it is not participating in the conflict in Ukraine and will not participate unless its own security is threatened by Ukraine or its Western allies.