The United States and other Western nations have reacted strongly after a missile killed two men in a town in US ally Poland amid Russia’s war against neighboring Ukraine.
This raises global tensions before preliminary conclusions the incident was probably caused by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft rocket fire to intercept an incoming Russian cruise missile.
Poland Incident on Day Russia Bombed Ukraine Most since April
Two male warehouse workers, both of them in their 60s, were killed on Tuesday when a missile hit the village of Przewodow in Eastern Poland, on the Polish border with Ukraine, causing immediately concerns that the incident may have been caused deliberately or accidentally by a missile fired by Putin’s Russia.
As Poland is a member of the 30-strong NATO mutual-defense alliance led by the United States, a potential Russian attack or provocation could have paved the way for America’s direct involvement and even to a world war and/or a nuclear war.
As it was uncertain what caused the missile incident, Poland’s government was preparing to trigger Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which provided for consultations among the alliance members.
The most important provision in the treaty is the famous Article 5 which stipulates that an attack against one pact member is an attack against all.
Biden just now in Indonesia speaks on explosion in Poland, indicates investigation to establish exactly what happened is ongoing. But he does say the evidence so far suggests the missile was not fired from Russia. pic.twitter.com/Lvz2vR50Ue
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 16, 2022
Russia’s Bloodthirsty Battle Plan
The forces of Moscow’s bloodthirsty dictator Vladimir Putin have been mauling a democratic and freedom-loving Ukraine for 265 days now, after first launching an unprovoked invasion from three sides with 200,000 troops back in February.
As the Ukrainian defenders have started to rout the Russians since July, partly thanks to the supplies of top-notch American military equipment, Putin’s regime has resorted to terrorizing the nation’s civilians with massive missile and drone strikes either directly on apartment buildings, or by targeting Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure.
Tuesday was a remarkable day in the war, as it saw the highest number of Russian cruise missiles fired against Ukraine’s civilian targets – more than 100 – since the early weeks of the war.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, its forces managed to shoot down 75 Russian missiles but Ukraine’s energy infrastructure still sustained massive damages leading to power outages all over the country.
At least 100,000 Russian fighters of various type, including 82,000 official service members, have been killed, and more than 200,000 have been wounded, killed, or captured, according to estimates, while some 18,000 units of heavy Russian military equipment have been destroyed so far.
It is currently unclear whether the missile that hit Poland was the same missile that Ukraine’s military attempted to intercept. Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden said it is “unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that it [the missile] was fired from Russia, but we’ll see.”
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 16, 2022
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the explosion in Poland on Tuesday that claimed two lives was probably caused by a Ukrainian missile defending against Russian strikes.https://t.co/YnYRVRcNv0 pic.twitter.com/Tu7b0ZuEYu
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 16, 2022
‘It’s Russia’s Fault’
Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden, said directly or indirectly on Wednesday that the missile that killed two people in Eastern Poland the previous afternoon was likely a Ukrainian air defense rocket that went off course, The Daily Mail reported.
The announcements immediately calmed fears that the incident could cause a war between NATO and Russia.
After meeting with Poland’s security council on Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda declared there was “no evidence” that the rocket had been fired by Russia.
He also said it was “highly probably” that the Soviet-made S-300 rocket, which is used by both Russia and Ukraine, likely came from Ukraine, and there was no evidence that his nation had been targeted on purpose.
Duda emphasized that Putin’s Russia was responsible for the incident and the deaths because of its attack on Ukraine, which was defending itself.
NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, also stated that there was no deliberate attack but an accident with a Ukrainian missile.
He declared the missile accident was the fault of Putin’s Russia because of its “illegal war on Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden summoned reporters to an “emergency” meeting during the current G-20 summit in Indonesia. He said it didn’t seem like the missile had been fired by Russia, and promised to find out exactly what happened.
According to NATO Chief Stoltenberg, a Ukrainian missile was likely launched to down a Russian one and eventually landed in Poland.
"But I want to clearly state that this is not Ukraine's fault. Russia bears full responsibility as it continues the illegal war against Ukraine."
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 16, 2022
These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of Nov. 16, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/craBUBM7vN
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 16, 2022