Missile hit in Poland: evidence of anti-aircraft missile from Ukraine

DAccording to the government in Warsaw, the explosion in a Polish village near the border with Ukraine was triggered by a Russian-made rocket. The impact in the village of Przewodow happened on Tuesday at 3:40 p.m., killing two Polish citizens, the Foreign Ministry said early Wednesday morning. With the origin of the rocket, however, it is not yet clear which country used it. Both Ukraine and Russia use Soviet-designed missiles. “We don’t have any conclusive evidence at the moment as to who fired that missile…” Poland’s President Andrzej Duda told reporters.

According to information from the German Press Agency, US President Biden said at a meeting with other heads of state and government from NATO and G-7 countries in Bali that there were indications that the projectile was an anti-aircraft missile of Ukraine acts. Even before that, it was ruled out that the missile was fired from Russian soil. There is corresponding information about the trajectory that contradicts this, said Biden on Wednesday morning on the Indonesian island of Bali. However, since there are numerous Russian troops in Ukrainian territory, the launch site does not directly identify the war party that fired the missile, he previously said.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called on his compatriots to calm down. “I call on all Poles to remain calm in the face of this tragedy,” Morawiecki said early Wednesday morning after an emergency meeting of his cabinet in Warsaw. “We must exercise restraint and prudence.”

Warsaw has summoned the Russian ambassador, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said. He stressed that on Tuesday there was a massive shelling of the entire Ukrainian territory and its critical infrastructure by the Russian army. The village of Przevodow is about 60 kilometers as the crow flies from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, which was also the target of Russian attacks.

Combat units placed on increased readiness

After the incident, Poland put part of its armed forces on increased readiness. This also applies to other uniformed services, said a government spokesman on Tuesday evening in Warsaw. It is about specific military combat units and the combat readiness of units of the uniformed services, he said, without giving any further details.

It has also decided, together with NATO allies, to review whether there are grounds for initiating Article 4 procedures of the NATO treaty, he said. Article 4 provides for consultations between NATO countries if one of them sees a threat to the integrity of its territory, its political independence or its own security.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter that he had spoken to President Duda about the explosions and offered his condolences to the families of those killed. “NATO is monitoring the situation and the alliances are in close contact with each other,” wrote Stoltenberg. It is “important that all facts are now established”. During the night it was confirmed that NATO will hold an emergency meeting in member state Poland near the border with Ukraine on Wednesday morning.

The G-7 countries met at night on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali for an emergency meeting. US President Joe Biden, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the heads of state and government of France, Great Britain, Italy, Canada and Japan met early Wednesday morning (local time) for consultations, as journalists reported.