Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Poland raised its military readiness level and is considering whether to activate NATO Article 4 after two Russian missiles fell on its territory, killing two people.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki convened an urgent session of the National security council on Tuesday evening after several local media reported two explosions took place in the village of Przewodów and the fire brigade confirmed two people were dead.
According to Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller, the authorities are still investigating the cause of the explosions, but the Polish Armed Forces raised their readiness level and the government is currently mulling activating Article 4 of the NATO treaty. Müller also confirmed that Polish President Andrzej Duda spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg regarding the incident.
Unlike Article 5, Article 4 can be invoked by a member state which feels its territorial integrity, political independence or security could be threatened by another country or a terrorist organization. Article 4 does not mandate a response, but instead invites discussion among member states about whether the threat is real, and how best to address it. Any decision reached must be unanimous.
Loss of life
Stoltenberg stated he offered his condolences to Duda for the loss of life. “NATO is monitoring the situation and allies are closely consulting,” he said, adding it is important that all facts are established.
While Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said during a press briefing on Tuesday that he had no information that could corroborate the media reports regarding two missiles hitting Polish territory, several media cited unnamed US sources as confirming that Russian missiles fell on Poland, though it remains unclear whether the attack was intentional or the missiles strayed from their targets in Ukraine. Przewodów is near the Ukrainian border, not far from a Ukrainian power plant on the other side of the border.
Russia reportedly fired more than 100 missiles on Tuesday on targets in Ukraine, primarily targeting energy infrastructure. According to Ukrainian government sources, despite 70 missiles being shot down, the attacks hit at least 15 power plants and power lines, leaving large swathes of the country without electricity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the deaths in Poland, saying what happened was what Ukraine warned about long ago. “Terror is not limited to our national borders,” said Zelenskyy. “It has already spread to the territory of Moldova. And today, Russian missiles hit Poland, the territory of our friendly country. People died.”
