By René Garzke
Sensitive incident in Poland: According to media reports, two Russian rockets hit the village of Przewodów near the border with Ukraine. So two people died. The fire brigade confirmed that there were explosions in the area.
The rockets may have been stray projectiles – Russia launched a massive wave of attacks on Ukraine on Tuesday.
An anonymous US intelligence official confirmed to the AP news agency that the missiles were Russian.
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (54) convened the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense. A Polish government spokesman spoke of a “crisis situation”.
► Two hours later, Poland put part of its armed forces on increased readiness. This also applies to other uniformed services, said a government spokesman.
The fire brigade had previously confirmed that explosions had occurred in Przewodów. “We have been notified of an explosion in the drying yard. In fact, we confirm on arrival that something like this happened. Two people died on the spot. Right now we’re securing the scene and lighting the action area.”according to a fire department spokesman.
► NATO was also concerned. “We are examining these reports and are coordinating closely with our alliance partner Poland,” a NATO official told the German Press Agencyright
The incident in Poland is sensitive because it is an attack on a NATO country. In the western defense alliance, there is an obligation to provide assistance in such cases (Article 5). However, it is still unclear whether this will actually be used.
In the past, NATO had repeatedly emphasized that it did not want to take part in the Ukraine war with its own troops.
Kremlin denied
The Russian Defense Ministry dismissed the reports as “deliberate provocations”. The Interfax news agency quoted the ministry as saying that these had the aim of escalating the situation.
There were no attacks with Russian weapons on targets near the Polish-Ukrainian border.
Foreign Minister Baerbock: Thoughts are with Poland
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was concerned about the incident. “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.”