NATO meets urgently after two Russian missiles crash in Poland

Poland remains on alert after this Wednesday (16) after a Russian-made missile crashed on its territory on Tuesday afternoon (15), killing two civilians. An emergency meeting will be held this morning between NATO ambassadors. Polish President Andrzej Duda said that an investigation has been launched into the incident.

with the information martin chabal, correspondent RFI in Warsaw and agencies

For the second time in a few hours, Poland will convene a security council to address yesterday’s blasts. “The board is currently reviewing information shared to date with commanders. [das Forças Armadas polonesas]”Heads of intelligence services and their allies,” Jacek Siewier, head of the national security office, wrote on Twitter.

Andrzej Duda stated that although NATO member Poland this morning confirmed that the missiles were of Russian origin, they had no proof of the author of the shots. US President Joe Biden said, “It is unlikely that the fires will come from Russia. US officials, according to the agency. Associated pressHe stated that the bullet would have been fired at a Russian missile recently detected by Ukrainian forces.

Moscow described the allegations as to the source of the attack as “deliberate provocation”. The Russian Ministry of Defense condemned the intention to “escalate the situation”.

Moscow stated on Telegram that “no bombings were carried out on targets close to the Ukrainian-Polish border” by the Russian army. The message reiterated that the images posted on Polish social media “have nothing to do with” the Russian attack.

Ukraine has accused the Russian government of being behind the shooting since Tuesday night. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky again blamed Russia for the explosions, as he did on Tuesday night, in a video conference during the G20 summit currently held in Indonesia. “There is a terrorist state among you that you have to defend yourself,” he warned.

What is known so far

According to the Polish media, two explosions were heard just before 16:00 on Wednesday in the town of Przewodów, close to the Ukrainian border in southeastern Poland (15). A photo that went viral on social media shows a crater next to a tractor in the area of ​​an affected grain mill.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki convened an emergency security council Tuesday night, but soon announced that no conclusions had been reached about the source of the bombing. “We guarantee we’ll determine exactly what happened,” Duda said.

In the town where two missiles fell, law enforcement blocked access to the crater and cordoned off the area. Investigators worked all night at the scene.

Poland, which has a border with Ukraine and is a NATO member, has about 10 thousand American soldiers on its territory. Article 5 of the Atlantic Alliance treaty states that if a member country is the victim of an armed attack, other nations can take the necessary measures to retaliate.

Solidarity and common sense

Some western countries have expressed their support for Poland. “It is absolutely necessary to prevent an escalation of war in Ukraine,” said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

France called for “vigilance” and reminded that “several countries” in Eastern Europe have the same type of missile. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban convened a defense council in his country.

China, Russia’s main ally, has called for “calmness” to all parties involved to prevent the violence from escalating. “China’s position on the Ukraine issue has been the same and clear from the beginning: the absolute priority is the continuation of dialogue and negotiations to resolve the crisis peacefully,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.