What is known so far about the “Russian-made” missile that killed two people in Poland

This Tuesday the alarms went off due to an explosion registered in Poland near the border with Ukraine, after the “massive attack with Russian missiles in Ukrainian cities”. As a result of the impact of the “Russian-made” projectile, two citizens died in the Polish city of Przewodow, six kilometers from Ukrainian territory.

The missile impacted an agricultural facility, leaving the member country of the NATO shocked. Poland He put his army on standby, holding an emergency meeting of his National Security Council on Tuesday and summoning Moscow’s ambassador to give “immediate detailed explanations.”

LOOK: Tension in Poland: What NATO Article 5 says in the face of external aggression

Due to a possible Russian attack on Polandthe tension grew in the NATO and United States. President Joe Biden himself personally communicated with his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, this Wednesday from Bali (Indonesia), where he is in the framework of the G-20 celebration. He then spoke to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. (REUTERS/Nacho Doce) (NACHO DOCE/)

Stoltenberg urged to clarify reports that Russian missiles may have landed on Poland during the shelling of Ukraine. It was not clear where the missile came from and the US president considered it “unlikely” that it was launched from Russia.

Russiafor his part, assures that he did not carry out attacks near the border between Ukraine Y Poland. In addition, he described as “deliberate provocation” the statements by the Polish media and officials about the alleged missile fall.

“The wreckage (…) was categorically identified by Russian specialists (…) as an element of an anti-aircraft guided missile of the S-300 anti-aircraft defense systems of the Ukrainian armed forces. The high-precision strikes were carried out in Ukraine at a distance of more than 35 km from the Polish-Ukrainian border,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

In response, Moscow also summoned the Polish ambassador on Wednesday.

It should be remembered that the fifth article of the NATO states that “an armed attack against one or more of [los miembros] in Europe or North America it will be considered an attack against all of them.”

Reduces tension after a day

However, the NATO and said the explosion was probably caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile fired to counter Russian attacks. In this way, the fears that the alliance could intervene in the conflict between Russia Y Ukraine.

“The incident was probably caused by a missile from the Ukrainian air defense system to defend the country from Russian missiles,” Stoltenberg said after an emergency meeting of the ambassadors of the NATO.

In turn, President Duda stated that “there are no indications that it is an intentional attack against Poland” and reiterated that it is “very likely” that the missile was Ukrainian.

The Ukrainian tests

Ukraine, which at first accused Russia of the shot, demanded “immediate access” to the place of impact. “We are ready to hand over the proof of the Russian trail that we have,” said the secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin insisted, however, that Russia was ultimately responsible for the incident, due to

The NATO ensures that there are no indications of a deliberate attack by Russianor that that country is preparing any offensive against the military alliance.

Fear of a bigger confrontation

Other Western leaders urged against jumping to conclusions. China called for “calm and restraint” and the head of the German government, Olaf Scholz, warned of the danger of drawing “hasty” conclusions.

It is “absolutely essential to avoid the escalation of the war in Ukraine,” said the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, who called for an “in-depth investigation.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a message to the G20 leaders, initially assured that the attack on Poland “is nothing more than a message from Russia to the G20 summit.”

Grain drying facility in Przewodow, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, November 16, 2022. Poland has increased military readiness after a missile blast killed two civilians in Przewodow, a Polish town near the Ukrainian border , on November 15. ‘The missile that fell on Polish territory was probably a Russian product from the 1970s. We have no evidence that it was fired from Russia. It is very likely that he belonged to the Ukrainian defense forces,” President Andrzej Duda said in a statement on November 16. (Photo: EFE/EPA/WOJTEK JARGILO)

Commotion in Przewodow

When the explosion rocked Przewodow, Joanna Magus first thought that something had happened in the grain drying warehouse.

The reality was much worse: a missile struck the town, killing two people, putting the town at the center of a dangerous turn in the war in Ukraine.

“I’m scared. I didn’t sleep all night,” Magus, a 60-year-old teacher at an elementary school in this town located six kilometers from the border, told the AFP agency.

“I hope it is a lost missile because, if it is not the case, we are defenseless,” he explained on his way to work, in this town of about 500 inhabitants.

Neighbors of the town declared that it had hit a cereal drying plant, located near the school.

When the shell went off, Magus was sitting at home. Her windows face the silo.

“I heard a big explosion, a terrible explosion. I went up to the window and saw a huge cloud of dark smoke (…) I saw people running, ”she said.

“I thought maybe something had happened in the silo, that one of the devices had broken and exploded,” he added.

Source: Elcomercio