Ukraine: ‘Russian missiles on Poland’, two victims. Moscow: “They are not ours.” NATO on alert – the world

The European Union is in shock and NATO is on alert For the missiles that fell in Poland in the evening and caused two deaths After more than 100 Russian missiles fell on Ukraine in the afternoon, another challenge by Vladimir Putin to the entire G20 world: It is the first time that a country from the “NATO” has been affected. Directly in the conflict.Feverish contacts and consultations between the allies to try to understand what exactly happened in Poland, whether the missiles were Russian, or, as some sources indicate, if it was the remnants of a missile dropped by Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles that caused the disaster.NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg confirmed , while Joe Biden spoke on the phone with his Polish colleague Andrzej Duda, “We are monitoring the situation, and it is important to ascertain the facts.”Moscow denied that the missiles were its own and spoke of a “provocation” aimed at provoking escalation. Kyiv, for its part, rejected the “conspiracy theory.” Promoted by the Russians and which says that a Ukrainian air defense missile will fall on Polish soil… Warsaw, in any case, put the army on alert.

The news that had been frightening since the beginning of the conflict arrived in the evening. It was first launched by Mariusz Jerzywski, a correspondent for Polish Radio Zet, speaking of two “Russian missiles” that fell on Polish soil in a village 10 kilometers from the border, Przywdo. The confirmation came shortly after a senior US intelligence official was quoted by the Associated Press. The two dead were then found by local firefighters following the explosions that hit the grain drying site. As the hours went by, Jerzywski, citing services in Warsaw, assumed that it would not be the fault of a launch by the Russians but the remnants of a missile dropped by Ukrainian anti-aircraft guns. Another hypothesis is that it was precisely a missile from Kyiv’s defense that fell in Poland: the debris is compatible with the S300 system, which is used by both sides.

Ansa agency

An armed attack on a person is treated as an attack on all (ANSA)

In Warsaw, the alarm immediately went off. The government convened an emergency security council (rescheduled for tomorrow), while the Pentagon asserted that the United States would “defend every inch” of the alliance’s territory in case Poland invoked Article 5, which obliges member states to collective defence. In any case, the password at this stage is to verify the facts, and the Atlantic Council will meet tomorrow morning in Brussels at the ambassadorial level to examine reports related to the incident. Emmanuel Macron said that the question would certainly be raised on the second day of the G20 in Bali, while Charles Michel announced that he would request a meeting of EU leaders who are in Indonesia. The alarm is shared by all the European chancellorships. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani emphasized, “We are following the situation carefully, and we are close to the Polish people.”

Meanwhile, contacts between the Allied leaders and Poland multiplied. President Duda, in his conversation with Stoltenberg, asked for the activation of Article 4 of the alliance, which states that “the parties will consult each other when one of them considers that the territorial integrity, political independence or safety of one of them is endangered.” Hence the ambassadors meeting tomorrow in Brussels. Also tomorrow the UN Security Council will meet. While waiting for clarifications, for President Volodymyr Zelensky, it was in any case a matter of a “major escalation” by Moscow, which would require an urgent summit of NATO leaders.