Enlarge image
After a possible hit by a Russian rocket: A cloud of smoke rises in the Polish border area with Ukraine.
Photo:
Stowarzyszenie Moje Nowosiolki / REUTERS
A deadly explosion in the Polish town of Przewodów has fueled fears of a further escalation of the war in Ukraine.
Two people were killed there on Tuesday afternoon when what appears to have been a misguided missile from Russia struck the site of an agricultural facility near the border with Ukraine.
Poland's Foreign Ministry confirmed last night what Polish media had previously reported: the impact of a Russian-made rocket caused the explosion.
What exactly happened?
Russia attacked Ukraine with rockets on Tuesday afternoon - and with an intensity that had not been seen for a long time.
In the afternoon, the air raid alarm sounded throughout Ukraine, shortly afterwards explosions were heard in many cities.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force spoke of around 100 rockets that Russia had fired in total.
It would be the second largest missile attack since the offensive began on February 24.
In the evening, the Polish radio station ZET reported that two stray Russian missiles from this attack had landed in Przewodów, killing two people.
The fire brigade in the region confirmed the explosion and the deaths, but could not yet name a possible cause.
Photos distributed via Twitter are said to show the impact site:
How is Poland reacting?
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called the National Security Council together for an emergency meeting in the evening.
It was there that the decision was made to put part of the country's armed forces on increased readiness.
This also applies to other uniformed services, said government spokesman Piotr Muller in Warsaw.
During the night, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a Russian-made rocket had hit Przewodów at 3:40 p.m. (local time).
The Russian ambassador in Warsaw was summoned to provide "immediate detailed explanations" of the incident.
Poland's Prime Minister Mariusz Morawiecki said in the evening that the authorities are still working to determine the cause of the explosion in Przewodów.
His government decided to monitor the airspace even more closely.
Morawiecki called on his population to remain calm.
Poland's government also stated that it wanted to examine whether it had to put Article 4 of the NATO charter into force.
In Article 4, the NATO states promise "consultation" in all cases in which a member sees "its territorial integrity, political independence or security" at risk.
However, this does not necessarily result in common steps.
Article 4 is significantly less far-reaching than the alliance case regulated in Article 5.
This provides for a collective response in the event of an "armed attack" on one or more member states.
Article 5 has only been invoked once by a member country in NATO's 73-year history: by the United States after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
What do NATO and the western states say?
During the night, NATO announced that the alliance would meet at ambassador level for an emergency meeting on Wednesday.
It was initially unclear whether this would be based on Article 4.
A NATO spokeswoman only said that the meeting would deal with the "tragic incident" in Poland.
At the same time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned against hasty reactions: "It is important that all facts are established," Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter after a phone call with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
"NATO is monitoring the situation and the alliance partners are coordinating closely." The NATO Secretary General spoke neither of missiles nor of Russia, but rather of an "explosion in Poland".
A spokesman for the US Department of Defense in Washington said there was currently no information to confirm Polish media reports of an alleged Russian missile strike.
The White House also said the reports could not be confirmed at this time.
In the evening, US President Joe Biden spoke to Polish President Andrzej Duda, as announced by his chancellor Jakub Kumoch.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was concerned.
"My thoughts are with Poland, our close ally and neighbor," wrote the Green politician on Twitter on Tuesday evening.
"We are monitoring the situation closely and are in contact with our Polish friends and NATO allies." EU Council President Charles Michel said the EU was on Poland's side.
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen was also concerned.
"We are closely monitoring the situation," she tweeted.
The clearest reactions came from the Baltic States.
Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks suggested that NATO could provide air defenses for Poland and "part of Ukraine's territory."
"One of the possibilities would be an agreement between NATO member states and Poland to provide additional anti-aircraft defenses, including in part of Ukraine's territory," he tweeted.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said his country was consulting with allies on a "joint and determined response."
It is an extremely serious incident.
What does Russia say?
In a first reaction, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow denied any responsibility.
The explosions were not caused by Russian missiles.
There were no attacks with Russian weapons near the Ukrainian-Polish border.
The incident was "deliberate provocation aimed at escalating the situation".
Wreckage reportedly found at the scene "has nothing to do with Russian weapons."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later in the evening that he had no information about the incident.
What does Ukraine say?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a commitment.
He explained that it was Russian missiles that hit Poland.
Ukraine had long warned that Russian actions would not be limited to Ukraine.
The Russian missile attack on NATO territory means a serious escalation of the situation.
There must be a reaction to this: "There is a need for action."
The Ukrainian government also called for a united response against Russia.
A NATO summit with the participation of Ukraine should work out further steps, suggested Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
He linked the incident to the demand for better air defense and US fighter jets of the types F-15 and F-16 for Kyiv.
"Today, protecting the skies of Ukraine also means protecting NATO," Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
In addition, Kuleba rejected assumptions that a Ukrainian missile had hit the neighboring country.
Sol/dpa/AFP/Reuters