Russia on Wednesday blamed Ukraine for a deadly explosion in Poland, and Belgium said it was likely caused by Kyiv’s air defenses firing at missiles approaching from Moscow.
The explosion at a farm building on Tuesday killed two people, leaving the village of Przewodow shocked and sparking fear among foreigners about a possible further escalation of the conflict.
Ambassadors from members of NATO’s military alliance have begun emergency talks in Brussels after Poland put its army on high alert following the blast and summoned Russia’s ambassador.
“According to the initial information available, the movements are likely the result of Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems that were activated to take off Russian missiles,” Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder said in a statement.
U. S. President Joe Biden had said it was “unlikely” the missile would come from Russia, and the Kremlin said it had “nothing to do with it. “
“The photographs of the remains (. . . ) have been unequivocally known through Russian military experts as fragments of an anti-aircraft guided missile of a Ukrainian S-300 air defense system,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
He added that “attacks were carried out on targets on the territory of Ukraine and at a distance of at least 35 kilometers from the border between Ukraine and Poland. “
But Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had in the past dismissed as a “conspiracy theory” the concept that it could be a Ukrainian missile.
The effect occurred at 14:40 GMT on Tuesday in the village of Przewodow, killing two farm workers.
Police cordoned off the blast site and sirens sounded in the distance.
“I’m afraid. I didn’t sleep all night,” said Anna Magus, a 60-year-old instructor at local school number one.
“I hope it was a lost missile, otherwise we are helpless,” he said.
‘Exercise deduction’
In Indonesia, Western leaders have warned that they rushed to conclusions.
China said “all parties involved remain calm and moderate to avoid escalation,” while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a “thorough investigation” and warned he opposes “rushed” trials.
According to a copy of his speech released by AFP, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the missile incident was “a sincere fact on Russia’s part for the G20 summit. “
Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski also suggested caution, but told FMR radio that “in all likelihood, we are dealing with the outcome of Russia’s actions. “
He also responded to the complaint of Poland’s defenses.
“The missile defense systems in the world are never one hundred percent effective systems that each and every millimeter of the territory of each and every country,” he said.
Poland held an emergency National Security Council meeting on Tuesday and summoned Moscow’s ambassador over the incident to provide “immediate detailed explanations. “
The government also said it had raised “the readiness of some fighting sets and uniformed services. “
NATO’s commitment
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and still has parts of Ukrainian territory despite a series of battlefield defeats in recent months.
Poland, which has a 530-kilometer (329-mile) border with Ukraine, has taken the lead in the region by offering military and humanitarian assistance to its neighbor and sanctioning Russia.
The clash has deep unease in Poland, where memories of the Soviet government are still alive.
Poland is through NATO’s commitment to collective defense, enshrined in Article Five of its founding treaty, but it is very likely that the alliance’s reaction will be strongly influenced by whether the incident was accidental or intentional.
Warsaw said it can simply invoke Article Four of the treaty, under which any member can convene urgent talks when it believes its “territorial integrity, political independence or security” is threatened.
“Closer to global war”
Zelensky called the missile incident “a very vital escalation,” while the Russian Defense Ministry dismissed reports that he was to blame as a “provocation” aimed at escalating tensions.
“The incident with the so-called Ukrainian ‘missile attack’ on a Polish farm proves one thing: by waging a hybrid war against Russia, the West is approaching a global war,” said Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s deputy security chief. Council. Twitter.
The blast came after Russian missiles hit Ukrainian cities, including Lviv, near the Polish border on Tuesday.
Zelensky said the moves left about 10 million people without force, then restored 8 million of them and also prompted automatic shutdowns at two nuclear power plants.
He said Russia fired missiles at electrical installations across the country and condemned the measures as an “act of genocide” and a “cynical slap” to the G20.
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Moldova, which also borders Ukraine, reported force cuts due to missiles fired at its neighbor and Moscow to “stop the destruction now. “
(With the exception of the title, this story has not been edited through NDTV and is published from a syndicated feed. )
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