On November 15, a missile of unconfirmed origin hit Poland and killed two people. As per reports, the incident happened in the village of Przewodów, located around 15 KM from the Poland-Ukraine border. While some reports have suggested that it was a Russian missile, the official confirmation is yet to come. The United States and Western allies said in a statement that the matter is under investigation but could not confirm the missile’s origin. Notably, the Russian defence ministry has denied the allegations.
Poland’s President stayed cautious about missile origin
Notably, the Polish foreign minister had earlier said in a statement that the missile that landed in the village Przewodów was Russian-made. However, Poland President Andrzej Duda remained cautious with his words and did not confirm the missile’s origin. He said the Poland officials were not sure about the origin and manufacturer of the missile. He added that the missile was “most probably” Russian-made but was not verified. Calling it a difficult situation, Duda said, “We are acting with calm”.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poland said, “On November 15, 2022, another hours-long, massive shelling took place of the entire territory of Ukraine and its critical infrastructure by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. At 3:40 pm, a Russia-made missile dropped on the village of Przewodów, district Hrubieszów, Lubelskie province, and resulted in death of two citizens of the Republic of Poland. Therefore, Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau summoned the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Polish MFA and demanded immediate and detailed explanation.”
📄 Statement on summoning the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Polish MFA pic.twitter.com/bXc7qh676A
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) November 16, 2022
Poland is considering NATO Article 4 activation
A Poland government spokesperson Piotr Muller said on Tuesday that the country was verifying it there was a need to request consultations under Article 4 of the NATO military treaty. He said, “A moment ago, we decided to verify whether there are grounds to launch procedures under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.”
Muller also hinted towards military readiness. He said, “It was decided a moment ago to increase the readiness of some combat military units in Poland and to increase the combat readiness of other units of uniformed services in our country.”
What is Article 4?
Under the said article, when a member state feels threatened by another country or a terrorist organisation, it can activate formal consultations among the 30 member states. During consultations, the threat’s validity and possible measures to counter the threat are discussed. The decisions are taken unanimously.
Notably, Article 4 does not assure any action against the possible threat mentioned by the member state. For example, Article 4 was triggered last year when Turkey’s soldiers were killed in an attack from Syria. NATO initiated consultations, but no action was taken.
President Biden convened an emergency meeting of world leaders
Following the reports of the explosion in Poland, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, chaired an emergency meeting of the world leaders. Following the meeting, Biden said in a statement that it was “unlikely” that the missile originated from Russia based on its trajectory.
I’m discussing a meeting with world leaders on the loss of life in Eastern Poland and the United States’ commitment to support Poland’s investigation. https://t.co/duaAT0lEoZ
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 16, 2022
However, he added that the investigation into the matter is underway.
