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GISMETEO.RU
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Russian-made missile kills two in Poland
Journal Staff Report

KYIV, Nov 15 - Poland said early Wednesday that a Russian-made missile fell in the eastern part of the country, killing two people in a blast that President Volodymyr Zelensky decried as “a very significant escalation” of the war.

The exact circumstances of the fatal explosion were unclear, including who fired the missile and from where. The Polish government said it was investigating and raising its level of military preparedness. NATO planned to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the events close to the Ukrainian border. Russia denied any involvement.

Zelensky’s comments, delivered in an evening address to the nation, came hours after a senior U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press that Russian missiles had crossed into Polish territory and killed two people.

A second person said that apparent Russian missiles struck a site in Poland about 15 miles from the Ukrainian border.

A statement from the Polish Foreign Ministry identified the weapon as being made in Russia. President Andrzej Duda was more cautious, saying that it was “most probably” Russian-made but that its origins were still being verified.

“We are acting with calm,” Duda said. “This is a difficult situation.”

Elsewhere, President Joe Biden convened an emergency meeting of the Group of Seven and NATO leaders in Indonesia for consultations on the situation in Poland.

Biden, who was awakened overnight by staff with the news of the missile while attending the Group of 20 summit, called Duda to express his condolences. On Twitter, Biden promised “full U.S support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation,” and “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to NATO.”

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the meeting of the alliance’s envoys in Brussels. The U.N. Security Council also planned to meet Wednesday for a previously scheduled briefing on the situation in Ukraine. The strike in Poland was certain to be raised.

Poland’s statement did not address whether the strike could have been a targeting error or if the missile could have been knocked off course by Ukrainian defenses.

In their statements, Poland and NATO used language that suggested they were not treating the missile blast as an intentional Russian attack, at least for now. A NATO statement called it a “tragic incident.”

If Russia had deliberately targeted Poland, it would risk drawing the 30-nation alliance into the conflict at a time when it is already struggling to fend off Ukrainian forces.

Polish media reported that the strike took place in an area where grain was drying in Przewodów, a village near the border with Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry denied being behind “any strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish border” and said in a statement that photos of purported damage “have nothing to do” with Russian weapons.

Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau summoned the Russian ambassador and “demanded immediate detailed explanations,” the government said. (ap/ez)




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