Polish media reported that two people were killed in an explosion in the village of Przewodów, which is near the border with Ukraine
An alert was sounded on Tuesday night in Poland after a missile strike from Russia and reports of two deaths. If confirmed, it would be Vladimir Putin’s first strike on NATO soil since the start of the war in Ukraine.
As reported by international news agencies, the Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, called an emergency meeting of the Committee of the Council of Ministers on national security issues. This was followed by a similar announcement from Hungary.
Initial reports from Polish sources, which have not yet been confirmed by independent sources, indicate that “stray” Russian missiles may have hit a town near the border with Ukraine.
A senior US intelligence official said, according to the Associated Press, that Russian missiles fell in NATO-member Poland, killing two people. Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller did not immediately confirm the information, but spoke of an emergency meeting due to a “crisis situation”.
The US Pentagon is also on a wait-and-see basis, which is currently unable to confirm the information about two Russian missiles that ended up on Polish soil, stressing, however, that it is looking into the specific reports. “We are aware of press reports that two Russian missiles hit a site inside Poland near the border with Ukraine. I can tell you that we currently have no information to confirm these reports. We are looking into the incident,” Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said.
The incident came after Moscow launched a barrage of more than 100 missiles into Ukraine, plunging much of the country into darkness. In fact, some of the strikes reached Lviv, which is about 70 kilometers from the Polish border.
Polish media reported that two people were killed in an explosion in the village of Przewodów, which is near the border with Ukraine.
Polish officials said the cause of the explosion was still unknown, but Polish radio station ZET reported that two stray rockets had fallen into the city, causing the explosion.
If the information is confirmed, it will be the first time there has been a death on NATO soil as a result of a Russian strike.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, as well as leaders of NATO member states, have repeatedly argued that the 30 members will defend and protect every inch of their territory in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We must not make the mistake of underestimating Russia. The Russian armed forces still possess significant capabilities, as well as large numbers of troops, and Russia has shown a willingness to suffer significant casualties. They have also shown extreme brutality,” Stoltenberg said just yesterday, when asked about the withdrawal of the Russians from Kherson.
Poland is a member of NATO. While a direct attack on a NATO country could trigger Article 5 – which is a collective defense commitment for all allies and considered the core of the Alliance – it is unclear whether an accidental strike, such as stray fire, would trigger the making such a decision.
Article 5 dictates that if a NATO ally is the victim of an armed attack, all other members will consider it an act of violence against the entire alliance and will take such actions as they deem necessary to assist the ally.
Meanwhile, in recent hours (and) Moldova has been hit by massive blackouts after Russian strikes on energy and utility facilities in Ukraine, forcing a key power line to be temporarily disconnected as a safety measure.
The incident comes two weeks after debris from a Russian missile intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses fell in the village of Naslavcea in northern Moldova. No injuries were reported from the incident.
It is noted that, in mid-October, three cruise missiles fired from Russian ships towards Ukraine crossed the airspace of Moldova, leading the deputy prime minister of Moldova to call the Russian ambassador to the country for an explanation.
