The Sept. 6 missile strike on Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine was one of the deadliest in the country in months, killing at least 15 civilians and injuring more than 30 others. The weapon’s payload of metal fragments struck a market, piercing windows and walls and wounding some victims beyond recognition.
Less than two hours later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russian “terrorists” for the attack, and many media outlets followed suit. Throughout its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly and systematically attacked civilians and struck schools, markets and residences as a deliberate tactic to instill fear in the populace. In Kostiantynivka in April, soldiers shelled homes and a preschool, killing six.
But evidence collected and analyzed by The New York Times, including missile fragments, satellite imagery, witness accounts and social media posts, strongly suggests the catastrophic strike was the result of an errant Ukrainian air defense missile fired by a Buk launch system.
WNU Editor: The New York Times is late on making this report. Bloggers following the Ukraine war came to the same conclusions a few days after the September 6 missile strike (i.e. Lord Bedo, Sprinter, and Victop55.
Everyone I know in Ukraine are scared of Russian missile and drone strikes. But not reported in the West is that they are also afraid of Ukraine’s anti-air systems and what happens when they miss their target.
