Polish media reports two people dead in apparent Russian missile strikes, though Biden says rockets probably weren’t fired from Russia
Update: U.S. President Biden stated after an emergency meeting of G7 leaders that there is “preliminary information to contest” reports that the missile attack in Poland on Tuesday was fired from Russia. He added that it’s “unlikely” from the trajectory that it was fired from Russia. “But we’ll see.”
ZET, a Polish radio station, reports that two missiles fell on Polish territory on November 15.
The missiles struck a farm in Przewodów, a village located in the Lublin province, five kilometers away from the Ukrainian border. Two people have been killed. The police, the prosecutors, and the Polish armed forces are working on the site. The Polish authorities do not yet comment on the missile strike.
A video from Przewodów, Poland.
The paramedics have confirmed that two people were killed as a result of an explosion in Przewodów, but said nothing about its cause. The governor of Lublin reported being on his way to Przewodów.
According to the Associated Press, a senior U.S. intelligence official has suggested, anonymously, that the projectiles were, in fact, Russian missiles launched during the November 15 massive strikes.
The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called an emergency meeting of the Polish security and defense committee, in connection with “the crisis situation.” Piotr Müller, the Polish government spokesman, has urged the media to be cautious with unconfirmed information. “We shall comment after the meeting that’s about to take place,” he said.
According to still unconfirmed information in the Polish media, the Polish Air Force put fighter planes in the air.
The Russian Defense Ministry has promptly issued a statement that denies any connection with the missiles, accusing Poland of deliberate provocation:
The statements made by the Polish media and officials about the allegedly “Russian” missiles that fell in the Przewodów area are a deliberate provocation aimed at escalating the situation.
There were no strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish state border by Russian weapons.
The wreckage on the scene published by the Polish media in Przewodów has nothing to do with the Russian weapons.
In his evening video address, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident a “substantial escalation,” insisting that it’s “time to act.” “The longer Russia continues to feel unpunished, the greater the threat to those who are within the reach of its missiles,” he said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that Ukraine “reaffirms its full solidarity with Poland and stands ready to provide any necessary support.” Kuleba called for a “tough and principled” collective response, including an urgent NATO summit with Ukraine’s participation.
Earlier on November 15, Russia conducted massive missile strikes across Ukraine. Among the cities targeted in the Russian strikes was Lviv and the surrounding region, which borders Poland.
Kyiv states that November 15 strikes caused the greatest damage to Ukrainian energy infrastructure since the start of the war. More than 7 million people have been affected by power outages. The neighboring Moldova, too, is experiencing blackouts, and connecting them with the Russian strikes on Ukraine.
Follow Meduza in English on Twitter to stay up to date.