On Tuesday, November 15th, what was believed to be a Russian S-300 surface to air missile landed in Eastern Poland, killing 2 people. The Polish government initially believed that the munition came from Russia, however further investigation revealed the missile was actually Ukrainian. It is believed that the missile’s unfortunate landing site was a result of a guidance failure, and that the missile was launched in defense of a recent Russian cruise missile attack.

The missile attack, however, comes as a result of the G20 meeting, in which a variety of leaders met in Indonesia (including Zelenskyy) to discuss various issues. Of these issues the war in Ukraine was a major topic, in which many leaders agreed to strongly condemn the invasion. Other topics, such as China’s human rights abuses were also addressed.

The recent attack targeted the power grid specifically, leaving 40% of all Ukrainians without power. Ukraine has accused Russia of weaponizing the coming winter season, as leaving Ukrainians without power would also leave them without heating. Eastern winters are known for their harsh temperatures and winds, and leaving people without heating could result in numerous deaths.

These types of attacks are strategically very sensible when considering the position Russia is in. Russian losses have been mounting, and its estimated that they have used almost half of their entire precision weapons stockpile, meaning they have to resort to munitions that are less precise and often unreliable. And as a result attacking a relatively static, and predictable target, such as a power plant. Is their most cost-effective option.