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Missile that landed in Poland fired by Ukrainian troops: Report

NATO will hold a meeting after the 'Russian-made missile' killed two in Poland

Poland Russia Ukraine War Police officers gather outside a grain depot in Przewodow, eastern Poland, on Tuesday where a Russian-made missile fell and killed two people | Reuters

The initial investigation into the incident wherein a "Russian-made missile" hit Poland on Tuesday has suggested that the missile was fired by Ukrainian forces. 

Kyiv's troops were firing at an incoming Russian missile when it landed in the eastern part of Poland, a NATO member nation, near its Ukrainian border, Reuters quoted AP. Two people had died in the incident.

Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden said that it was unlikely that a missile was fired from Russia. He made the statement at the G20 Summit venue in Bali while pledging support for Poland's investigation into the incident.

Asked if the missile had been fired from Russia. Biden said: "There is preliminary information that contests that. It is unlikely in the minds of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia." 

This comes as reports said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday. The incident has stoked fears that the conflict could escalate as members of NATO are committed to collective defence under Article 5.

Missile attack

Polish Foreign Ministry said the rocket fell on Tuesday evening on Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland about six kilometres from the border with Ukraine. The deceased two men were near the weighing area of a grain facility when the missile exploded, reported Reuters.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that the missile was a "single act" and there was no evidence of further missiles. According to Polish authorities, it is not clear who fired the missile, but the weapon was "most likely produced in Russia." 

"We are working calmly and in a very calm manner," Polish President Andrzej Duda said during an address from the Bureau of National Security in Warsaw. He said the US is sending experts to investigate the site as part of a joint operation. 

Russian stance

Russia has refused to take responsibility for the incident, calling out the allegations as a "deliberate provocation aimed at escalating the situation".

 "No strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish state border were made by Russian means of destruction," a statement read.

Meanwhile, the head of the permanent mission of Russia to the United Nations said on Wednesday that the incident in Poland was an attempt to provoke a direct clash between Russia and NATO.

"There is an attempt to provoke a direct military clash between NATO and Russia, with all the consequences for the world," Dmitry Polyansky said on his Telegram channel.

Poland's foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador to explain why a Russian-made missile fell on Polish territory. Poland had also increased its military readiness of selected units of the Polish armed forces, with particular emphasis on airspace monitoring, in connection with the incident.

 Poland had also planned to ask its NATO partners for a meeting under Article 4 of the NATO Treaty. Article 4 allows for any member to seek consultations with the rest of the alliance and states. "The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened," the article states. 

Biden phones Polish President

US President Joe Biden, who is in Bali to attend the G20 meetings, has spoken on phone with Polish President Andrzej Duda. Biden is said to have "expressed deep condolences for the loss of life in Eastern Poland earlier this evening," according to a readout from the White House.

He also "reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to NATO" and both leaders agreed to "remain in close touch to determine appropriate next steps as the investigation proceeds," the readout said. 

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