NYT: Ukraine fired the missile that killed 16 civilians in a market in Donbass

The newspaper reached this conclusion after having analyzed fragments of the missile, satellite images, witness statements and posts on social networks about the attack that occurred on September 6 in Konstantinovka.

The New York Times reported this Monday that an analysis of various evidence indicates that The Ukrainian Armed Forces fired the missile which in early September hit a commercial area in the city of Konstantinovka and caused the death of at least 16 civilians.

“Evidence collected and analyzed by The New York Times, including missile fragments, satellite images, witness statements and social media posts, strongly suggests that the catastrophic attack was the result of an errant Ukrainian air defense missile fired by the Buk launch system“says the article.

The media indicates that the event appears “to have been a tragic mishap.” In addition, it points out that the Ukrainian authorities tried to block journalists from accessing the debris of the projectile and the area affected by the attack.

The newspaper indicates that recording from a surveillance camera shows that the missile was fired from the direction of territory controlled by Ukraine. The New York Times also highlights that, minutes before the attack in Konstantinovka, the Ukrainian military Two surface-to-air missiles were launched from the town of Druzhkovka, located at a distance of 16 kilometers from Konstantinovka. “The timing of these launches is consistent with the timing of the missile that hit the market in Konstantinovka,” he says.

The newspaper recalls that from kyiv they blamed Russia of the attack and indicated that a missile fired by the S-300 air defense system was used. “But the S-300 missile (for the system) carries a different warhead than the one that exploded in Konstantinovka”, he reiterates. After analyzing the damage caused by the projectile and its debris found at the site, the media maintains that they indicate the use of the 9M38 missile, which is fired with the Buk system. He adds that the military of both Ukraine and Russia use the complexes in question.

The article suggests that the missile, whose maximum range is greater than 27 kilometers, probably malfunctioned and crashed before reaching its target. In this context, it indicates that the projectile probably had unused fuel in its engine that exploded after the fall, a fact that could explain the burn marks in the affected area.

The New York Times also quotes the statements of a spokesperson for the Armed Forces. of Ukraine who indicated that the event remains under investigation.

• The attack on a market in the city of Konstantinovka occurred on September 6.

• left at least 16 dead and more than 30 injured.

• Last week, the advisor to the head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine, Mikhail Podolyak, stated that kyiv will not investigate the attack in Konstantinovka. “And what is the point of the investigation if everything is obvious to us?”, said.

• For his part, German newspaper Bild reporter Julian Rocke wrote in his X account that the attack was carried out from the northwestthat is, from territory under Ukrainian control.