Missile strike in Poland 'probably caused by Ukrainian air defence'

Poland's military was on high alert Wednesday after at least two people died in a missile strike on a village near the border with Ukraine. Western leaders held an emergency meeting to discuss the incident on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, urging a cautious reaction to the apparent attack.

The scene of the explosion in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland. © via REUTERS

Update 11.30: The explosion that killed two Polish civilians in a village near the border with Ukraine was probably caused by Ukrainian air defence units firing at incoming Russian missiles, the Belgian defence minister said Wednesday.

"The missile strikes in Poland last night are being fully investigated by our intelligence service, which is in close contact with NATO partner services," Ludivine Dedonder said in a statement.

"Based on the preliminary information available, the strikes are most likely a result of Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems that were engaged to take Russian missiles out of the sky."

Poland's President Andrzej Duda said there was no clear evidence of who had fired the missile that killed at least two people in the southeastern village of Przewodow, near the border with Ukraine.

He said the missile was "most probably Russian-made".

US President Joe Biden said it was "unlikely" the missile had been fired from Russia, while France urged "utmost caution" in identifying who was behind the strike.

Moscow's ambassador to Warsaw has been summoned to provide "immediate detailed explanations" and the military were on heightened alert after an emergency national security council meeting, Polish authorities said.

"There has been a decision to raise the state of readiness of some combat units and other uniformed services," spokesman Piotr Muller told reporters after the meeting in Warsaw, adding that "our services are on the ground at the moment working out what happened".

Biden spoke by phone with Duda, offering "full US support for and assistance with Poland's investigation", the White House said.

The two leaders agreed to "remain in close touch to determine appropriate next steps as the investigation proceeds", it added.

Macron pledges solidarity

French President Emmanuel Macron joined British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, all leaders of NATO member states, in expressing solidarity with Poland.

Poland is protected by NATO's commitment to collective defence, but the alliance's response is likely to be influenced by whether the incident was accidental or intentional.

Biden also spoke with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg about the incident, while ambassadors from the alliance are to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday.

European Union chief Charles Michel said he was "shocked", and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged to "remain closely coordinated in the days ahead as the investigation proceeds and we determine appropriate next steps".

An escalation, or a tragic error?  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claims that two Russian missiles exploded in Polish territory in what he described as "a very significant escalation".

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba rejected as a "conspiracy theory" the idea that the Poland blast may have been caused by a surface-to-air missile fired by Kyiv's forces.

Russia's defence ministry meanwhile dismissed reports that it was to blame.

Russian missiles hit cities across Ukraine on Tuesday, including Lviv, near the border with Poland.