Poland missile blast isn’t likely to have come from Russia, say officials

Early Wednesday, the Polish Foreign Ministry said the missile was likely Russian-made, but the whole situation was still under investigation.

Poland missile blast isn’t likely to have come from Russia, say officials
A view shows damages after an explosion in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, in this image obtained from social media by Reuters released on November 15, 2022. /via REUTERS

On Tuesday, Ukraine said Russia attacked the country with more than 90 missiles, the biggest offensive in more than a month. The attacks caused a lot of damage, including cutting out the power to around 7 million households across the country. During the attack, a missile struck a Polish village near the border, and two people were killed in the explosion. This deadly incident is the first time a NATO country was hit in the Russia-Ukraine war, worrying everyone that the conflict could escalate. But, Russia denied there were any strikes near the Poland-Ukraine border.

Early Wednesday, the Polish Foreign Ministry said the missile was likely Russian-made, but the whole situation was still under investigation. Then, US President Joe Biden said it's unlikely that Russia fired the missile while speaking to reporters at the G20 Summit.

Later Wednesday, Poland and NATO officials said that the incident in Poland was likely caused by Ukrainian air defenses protecting the country against the wave of missile strikes by Russia, and hitting the Polish village looked like an accident. But everyone seems to agree that it's ultimately Russia's fault for its continued illegal war on Ukraine.

Key comments:

"The United States and our allies and partners will continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself, including air defense systems," said US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in a statement. "We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes."

"All representatives of EU members and EU institutions emphasized there's no doubt that Russian aggression in Ukraine and an all-out missile attack on Ukraine's territory are the direct cause of yesterday's tragedy," said Andrzej Sados, Poland's ambassador to the EU.

"It is clear what the enemy wants, but he won't get it," said Ukraine President Zelenskiy. "Strikes have cut off energy in many cities of our country; we are working to restore it. We will restore everything and we will survive everything."