According to media reports and statements from senior security officials, two Russian missiles landed on Polish territory in the village of Przewodów, near the Ukrainian border. These are said to be “stray” rockets. Russia attacks Kyiv with missiles. Aerial attacks are also reported in many other cities.
Russia launched missile attacks on the energy infrastructure in Ukraine on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. According to media reports, two of these Russian errant rockets struck the Polish settlement of Przewodów near the Ukrainian border. Two people are said to have been killed. A US intelligence official confirmed this to the AP news agency.
According to the Polish government spokesman, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki then convened the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense.
Minister Mateusz Morawiecki a meeting of his country's Security Council to address an unspecified crisis situation . This is reported by the PAP in Warsaw. Official information about the crisis was initially not provided, but reports suggested a connection with the massive Russian rocket fire on neighboring Ukraine.
The private Polish radio station Zet reports that two stray rockets hit a Polish village near the border . According to unconfirmed information, two people were killed. It would be the first such incident in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which has lasted almost nine months. Poland is a member of the EU and the Western defense alliance NATO.
This case is considered very sensitive because Poland is a member of the NATO alliance and Article 5 provides for the obligation to provide assistance in the event of an attack on an alliance partner. However, it is questionable whether this will happen. The dpa currently reports:
“The US Department of Defense is investigating reports of the alleged impact of two Russian missiles in Poland. The Pentagon is aware of the press reports, says a spokesman in Washington. At this point in time, the ministry has no information that could confirm these reports. “If we can provide an update, we will do so,” the spokesperson continued.”
BNO, a Dutch news agency, publishes the first video on Twitter
The Latvian Defense Minister tweets:
My condolences to our Polish brothers in arms. The criminal Russian regime fired missiles that not only targeted Ukrainian civilians, but also landed on NATO territory in Poland. Latvia fully supports its Polish friends and condemns this crime.
UPDATE | In Poland, the government will hold an unscheduled meeting following unconfirmed reports of an alleged rocket strike in the border area with Ukraine. The government information center said the meeting was scheduled for 9 p.m.
Donald Tusk calls for national unity:
In an emergency, we must all stand together and show solidarity, regardless of internal disputes and differences. We will be together in this difficult moment.
UPDATE 9:22 p.m.: The Russian military rejects reports of alleged Russian missiles crashing into a Polish village near the border with Ukraine as a “targeted provocation.” The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced in the evening that no targets were fired on in the Ukrainian-Polish border area. It is also said that the photos of alleged debris distributed in the Polish media have nothing to do with Russian weapons systems.
UPDATE 9:34 p.m.: NATO will investigate reports of a deadly explosion in Poland. “We are checking these reports and are coordinating closely with our alliance partner Poland,” a NATO official told dpa in the evening.
UPDATE 9:44 p.m.: The governments of the three Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - as well as those of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Poland's southern neighbors, have expressed their support and solidarity in tweets. (BBC)
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo assures Poland of Belgium's support in the face of a deadly explosion . “Belgium stands with Poland. We are all part of the NATO family, which is more united than ever and equipped to protect us all,” he wrote on Twitter. Belgium strongly condemns the incident and expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the Polish people.
The acting foreign minister of NATO member Denmark, Jeppe Kofod , described the incident on Twitter as very worrying . “We are in close contact with Poland and our other allies in NATO.” But he also emphasized that we don’t yet know exactly what happened . “We are in the process of clarifying this together with our allies.”
UPDATE 9:48 p.m.: Russian media claims Ukrainian missiles hit Poland! The Russian state media has already suggested that it was not Russian but Ukrainian missiles that hit Polish territory. These claims are unfounded. State news agency Ria Novosti quoted a Russian "military expert" as claiming that Russian cruise missiles "would not have been able to reach Polish territory, but Ukrainian S-300 [surface-to-air] missile systems operating abnormally would have." . Several Kremlin-affiliated Telegram channels published similar claims. ( BBC )
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke up on Twitter and wrote:
My thoughts are with #Poland , our close ally and neighbor. We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with our Polish friends and NATO allies.
UPDATE 10:00 PM: Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Russia of “significant escalation”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of deliberately attacking Poland, a NATO state. “This is a Russian missile attack on collective security,” he said. “This is a very significant escalation. We must act." "Terror is not limited to our borders," he said, adding that it was "only a matter of time before Russian terror continues." Zelensky, whose country is not a member of NATO but has close ties with the alliance, described the rocket fire on his country's power grid as a "slap in the face to the G20." “This act of genocide against Ukrainians in response to my peace plan is a cynical slap in the face to the G20 and the world,” he wrote on Telegram.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, just tweeted:
Shocked by the news that a rocket or other ammunition has killed people on Polish territory. My condolences to the families. We stand with Poland. I am in contact with Polish authorities, members of the European Council and other allies.
UPDATE 10:15 p.m.: As the Polish National Security Council holds its emergency meeting, the government receives further statements of support from NATO allies. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock tweets: “We are monitoring the situation closely and are in contact with our Polish friends and NATO allies.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tweets a similar message: “It is now important to determine what exactly happened.” .
French President Emmanuel Macron says he is in contact with Poland and plans to hold talks at the G20 summit about the incident tomorrow. The head of the EU summit, European Council President Charles Michel , tweeted: “Shocked by the news that a rocket or other munition has killed people on Polish territory. My condolences to the families. We stand with Poland. “I am in contact with the Polish authorities, members of the European Council and other allies.” (BBC)
UPDATE 10:22 p.m.: Poland increases military preparedness
Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller has confirmed that there was an explosion that killed two Polish citizens, Reuters news agency reports. Poland is increasing the readiness of its military units and “checking whether we need to activate NATO Article Four,” said Muller. This article states: “The Parties shall consult each other if one of them considers that there is a threat to the territorial integrity, political independence or security of one of the Parties.”
UPDATE 10:24 p.m.: “It is unclear who fired the missile.”
In the last few hours, images have been circulating on social media that allegedly show rocket fragments from the site of the attack in Poland. The BBC has not been able to verify these images, but we have spoken to three defense experts about what they show. Mark Cancian of the think tank CSIS believes it could be an S-300 system. This type of missile is typically used for surface-to-air attacks and was used by both Russia and Ukraine throughout the war. “It is unclear who fired the missile,” said J. Andrés Gannon, a security expert at the US Council on Foreign Relations, who also believes it could have been an S-300. “We know that Russia uses the S-300 for ground attacks, although it is an air defense system, but Ukraine also uses it for air defense against cruise missiles. Dr. Justin Bronck, senior fellow at the think tank Rusi, agrees it could be an S-300, but there is not yet enough evidence to identify it.

UPDATE 10:27 p.m.: “ Important to establish facts”
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg tweets that he spoke to Polish President Andrzej Duda about the explosion. “I expressed my condolences to him for the loss of life. NATO is monitoring the situation and the allies are consulting closely. It is important that all facts are established,” said Stoltenberg.
UPDATE 10:30 p.m.: Currently, Polish President @AndrzejDuda with US President Biden @POTUS
US President Joe Biden has been informed of the reports from Poland and, according to official information, is speaking with Polish President Andrzej Duda. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan previously spoke with his Polish counterpart Jacek Siewiera.
UPDATE 10:44 p.m.: Ursula von der Leyen “worried” by reports from Poland! The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is “alarmed” by the reports coming from Poland . “Alarmed by reports of an explosion in Poland following a massive Russian missile attack on Ukrainian cities ,” she wrote in a tweet. “I express my condolences to Poland and our Ukrainian friends and assure them of my full support and solidarity.”
UPDATE 10:57 p.m.: US reacts with caution to incident in Poland
The Americans have reacted with caution to reports of Russian missiles landing on Polish territory.
The White House, Pentagon and State Department said they could not confirm the incident and were working with the Polish government to gather more information. They also reiterated America's commitment to defend every inch of NATO territory if attacked, which President Joe Biden called a "sacred obligation."
But neither the US nor its NATO allies want to be drawn into a direct confrontation with Russia.
The State Department said this intent will play a role in determining next steps.
Kurt Volker, a former US special envoy to Ukraine, told the BBC that it was very important to clarify whether a missile attack on Polish territory was deliberate or accidental.
NATO should demand a clear explanation from Russia and, if a missile has gone astray, take measures to ensure that something like this cannot happen again.
There was a risk of mistakes on Tuesday as the Ukrainians tried to fire a massive barrage of Russian missiles aimed at their power grids.
UPDATE 11:11 p.m.: Polish President speaks with Zelenskyj
After his earlier conversation with President Biden, Polish President Duda is now speaking with Ukrainian President Zelenskyj.
A group of Polish military experts arrive at the scene of an explosion in the village of Przewodów in Lublin Voivodeship. Since there may be remnants of the rockets, experts will conclude what type of rockets they are.
UPDATE 11:20 p.m.: EU leaders to discuss Poland at G20 summit later
European Council President Charles Michel says he will propose a "coordination meeting" with EU leaders on Wednesday, which currently attending the G20 summit in Bali. He tweets that he spoke to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and "assured him of the EU's full unity and solidarity in supporting Poland." The day has just begun in Bali and we expect to hear from the leaders there in the next few hours.
UPDATE 11:32 p.m.: This does not appear to be an intentional attack.
When Russian missiles are fired at targets so close to the Polish border and Ukrainian air defenses are activated to intercept them, perhaps it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.
The fact that a missile landed on the Polish side of the border is of course a worrying development, not only for Poland, but for all states on the western borders of Russia and Ukraine.
The Republic of Moldova has already complained about the impact of Russian missiles near its border.
But what matters here is what the intended target was, whoever fired the missile.
And so far there is no sign that Russia has intentionally targeted any target beyond Ukraine's borders. The Kremlin knows that such a move would potentially trigger Article 5 of the NATO constitution, which could theoretically call on the entire alliance to defend Poland.
This is not a situation NATO wants to find itself in, especially one day after Russian and American spy chiefs met to discuss how to avoid unnecessary escalation in this war.
A large part of the supplies of defensive weapons that are vital for Ukraine come via Poland. If this were intentionally targeted, it would be a different matter. But that doesn't seem to be the case here. (BBC)

UPDATE 11.40pm: UK investigating reports of missiles - Foreign Secretary
Following a series of tweets from governments around the world, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly says the UK is "urgently investigating reports of missiles landing in Poland". The UK is in contact with Poland and other NATO allies, he added.
UPDATE 11:59 p.m.: Zelensky expresses his condolences to the Polish President
More on the details of the phone call between Ukrainian President Zelensky and Polish President Duda. Zelensky expressed his condolences over the deaths of Polish citizens due to Russian rocket terrorism. “We have exchanged available information and are clarifying all the facts.” He added that Ukraine, Poland and “all of Europe and the world must be fully protected from terrorist Russia.”
UPDATE 3:17 a.m.: Unlikely the missile was fired from Russia.
US President Joe Biden believes it is “unlikely” that the missile that killed two people in Poland was fired from Russia. He says there is "preliminary information that disputes" that the incident in Poland was due to a missile fired from Russia. "I don't want to say this until we've investigated everything, but given the trajectory, it's unlikely that the missile was fired from Russia, but we'll see."
Biden said world leaders are discussing the next They will decide what steps to take after they find out what happened, following the investigations taking place in Poland.
UPDATE 9:33 a.m.: The attacks on Ukraine were 35 km (22 miles) from Poland
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the attacks on Ukraine on November 15 were no closer than 35 km (22 miles) to the Polish border, according to the news agency RIA reported.
The president of NATO member Poland had previously said Poland had no concrete evidence of who fired the missile that hit a Polish grain plant about six kilometers from the border with Ukraine, killing two people.
A NATO source said US President Joe Biden informed G7 and NATO partners that a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile caused the explosion in Poland. Source: Aljazeera
Polish police tweet:
In #Przewodów, where the explosion occurred, police have secured the area since the beginning of the event. Police experts, e.g. with @CBSPolicji, #CLKP, @PolskaPolicja Criminal Police Office together with other departments, explain in detail the circumstances of what happened and secure evidence. Source: Twitter

UPDATE 10:20 a.m.: NATO emergency meeting on explosion in Poland
NATO is holding an emergency meeting in Brussels this morning regarding the missile strike in eastern Poland. It will begin at 10 a.m. (CET), a European diplomat and two NATO representatives said. The meeting will be chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, according to a NATO press release. He is expected to give a press conference at 12:30 p.m. More information to follow. (APA)
UPDATE 11:17 a.m.: Poland and NATO avoid blaming Russia for the missile strike
So far, the Western military alliance - and the Polish government itself - have avoided blaming Russia. Both the NATO chief and the Polish president have described the impact, which killed two people, as a “tragic incident”. This is in line with an earlier statement by US President Joe Biden. Recently, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was important to establish the facts of the incident. (Source: BBC )
NOTE: The article is constantly being updated
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