Only missile converted from S-300 to ballistic one could cause destruction like in Poland - Oleksiy Hetman

He said this on the air of the Espreso TV channel.

"Let's analyse the rocket explosion in Poland in detail. Any missile from the S-300 system could not cause such destructive actions. The S-300 missile has a live charge consisting of metal balls or cubes inside the warhead. A missile approaches a target and explodes at a distance closest to the air target. When a missile loses its target in the air, it immediately goes into vertical flight and rises to an altitude of 20 km. And there is an explosion of a charge," said Hetman.

According to the military analyst, if the rocket wreckage falls on the building, it can destroy it. But these are pieces of iron that can't explode.

"If we assume that the rocket completely deteriorated and lost electronic control, then if it fell to the ground, it would also not have been able to explode. The missile does not explode from detonation, it explodes from the command of electronic equipment located inside. The Russians turned such S-300 missiles into ballistic missiles with a regular charge instead of metal balls and cubes. Such a missile can fall to the ground and explode. This missile has been processed from an anti-aircraft missile to a ballistic one. In Ukraine, such processed missiles were not made," Hetman stressed.

• On November 15, Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller announced the Council of Ministers' Committee on national security and defence convocation. At the same time, Polish media reported explosions near the border with Ukraine and the death of two people, presumably due to the fall of Russian missiles. 

• Later, the Polish Foreign Ministry announced the Russian origin of the missile that killed two people near the border with Ukraine on November 15. The Polish government is checking whether there are grounds for applying Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty on consultations on threats against the background of a possible Russian strike on the border with Ukraine. 

• US President Joe Biden told partners in the G7 and NATO that the missile explosion in eastern Poland was caused by a missile from the Ukrainian air defence system.

• Polish President Andrzej Duda responded to Ukraine's call to include it in the investigation of the missile crash on Polish territory and assessed the likelihood of a repeat of the incident.

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is sure it is not a Ukrainian missile that has fallen on the territory of Poland.