Deadly missile explosion in Poland put world on edge. What world leaders say happened
As Russia fired a wave of attacks on Ukraine, a missile explosion in Poland killed two people, according to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NATO and Reuters. Soon after, the Associated Press, citing an unnamed senior U.S. official, reported that Russian missiles had crossed into Poland, a NATO member country.
But preliminary assessments later suggested the missile was “fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian one,” the Associated Press reported.
The deadly explosion put the world on edge and prompted investigations. Here’s what happened, according to world leaders.
What does Poland say happened?
Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a Nov. 15 statement on Twitter that “a Russia-made missile dropped on the village of Przewodów… and resulted in death of two citizens of the Republic of Poland.”
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the explosion “was caused by the shooting down and destruction of a Russian missile,” according to tweets from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland.
“Ukrainian forces, countering a massive Russian attack, launched their missiles yesterday to shoot down Russian missiles,” the prime minister said. “There are many indications that one of these missiles fell on Polish territory without any intention on either side. There is no indication that yesterday’s event was an attack on Polish territory. We were dealing most probably with an unfortunate event.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda said, according to Reuters, that the incident was still under investigation but “it was most likely a Russian-made missile,” adding that “what happened in Przewodów was a one-off event” and “there is no indication that any more will take place.”
Duda said later, according to Reuters, that “from the information that we and our allies have, it was an S-300 rocket made in the Soviet Union, an old rocket and there is no evidence that it was launched by the Russian side”and that “it is highly probable that it was fired by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense.”
What does Russia say happened?
The Russian Ministry of Defense, in a statement sent to its telegram channel, said that “Russian firepower has launched no strikes at the area between Ukrainian-Polish border.”
In a later statement, the ministry emphasized that “high-precision attacks were launched only at the targets located in Ukraine and no closer than 35 kilometers from the Ukrainian-Polish border.”
The ministry cited Russian defense experts as identifying the wreckage in Poland as a “air defence guided missile of Ukrainian Air Force.”
What does NATO say happened?
NATO held a meeting on Nov. 16 to address the explosion in Poland “which took place as Russia launched a massive wave of rocket attacks across Ukraine,” the alliance said in a statement.
Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg said in the statement that “we have no indication that this was the result of a deliberate attack and we have no indication that Russia is preparing offensive military actions against NATO… Our preliminary analysis suggests that the incident was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missile attacks.”
He urged waiting for the outcome of ongoing investigations.
What does Ukraine say happened?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Nov. 15 statement sent on his telegram channel that “Russian missiles hit Poland.. Hitting NATO territory with missiles… This is a Russian missile attack on collective security! This is a really significant escalation.”
A U.S. official told CNN that the Ukrainian military “attempted to intercept a Russian missile during the timeframe and near that location of the Poland missile strike.”
What does the U.S. say happened?
The Associated Press, citing U.S. officials, reported that initial findings suggested the “missile that hit Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces at incoming Russian missile.”
U.S. President Joe Biden said Nov. 15 that “it’s unlikely, in the minds of the trajectory, that it was fired from Russia. But we’ll see. We’ll see,” per CNN.
This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Deadly missile explosion in Poland put world on edge. What world leaders say happened."
