After rocket impact in Poland: all clear – but concerns for the future

NATO and Warsaw give the all-clear: They assume that a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile accidentally hit Poland. Like NATO, Foreign Minister Baerbock still sees responsibility for Russia.

President Andrzej Duda has given the all-clear after the fatal impact of a rocket in Poland’s border area with Ukraine. There is currently no “clear or known direct threat” to the country and its citizens, he said after a National Security Council meeting. There are also no signals that such an event could happen again.

On Tuesday, a rocket hit the village of Przevodow, six kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Two people were killed in the process. Both the Polish leadership and NATO have since announced that there are no indications of a deliberate attack.

According to preliminary analyses, the incident was likely caused by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile used against Russian cruise missile attacks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. “We have no indications and there is also no knowledge that Russia is preparing offensive military actions against NATO.”

“Russia is responsible”

Despite the latest assessments, Stoltenberg saw responsibility for Russia. “It’s not Ukraine’s fault,” he said. “Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine.”

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made a similar statement. “These people would not have died if there hadn’t been this brutal Russian war of aggression,” she said after arriving at the world climate conference in Egypt.

In the hours before the attack, which, according to the latest findings, was caused by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses, there were very heavy air raids on Ukrainian cities, including Lviv, right on the EU border. “The last 18 hours have shown how important it is that we act calmly in these moments, but above all act together as the European Union, as NATO countries,” said the Green politician.

Ukraine: “All this is just Russia”

Ukraine also blamed Russia for the deaths in Poland. The war is being waged by Moscow, said presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak in a written statement. “Russia has turned the eastern part of the European continent into an unpredictable battlefield. Intent, means of execution, risks, escalation – all this is only Russia. And there is no other way to explain missile incidents.”

Moscow demands an apology

Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made fun of the deadly rocket hit. Ukraine always wanted to join NATO, now it has entered by force – with an S-300, the spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov picked up a joke on her Telegram channel that had previously been circulating on social media.

She then asked Poland for an apology. “The President of Poland has called the crash of the missile an ‘accident’.” Previously, however, Polish politicians had spread “hysteria”, allowed themselves to be carried away with “russophobic outbursts” and summoned the Russian ambassador around midnight. Warsaw should apologize for this, Zakharova wrote.

Poland: Probably no Article 4 procedure

In the past, rockets had landed just behind the Polish-Ukrainian border. Many people in Poland had feared that one day – intentionally or not – they could also hit Polish territory and thus NATO territory, also because of a possible armed response from NATO.

Shortly after the incident, the Polish government appealed to remain calm. After a crisis meeting, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki appeared before the press shortly after midnight: “Let’s act carefully, we mustn’t allow ourselves to be manipulated,” he said. “I also appeal to all politicians to show restraint and responsibility. We must show unity at this difficult moment.”

In view of the current findings, the government in Warsaw no longer sees an absolute need for a procedure under Article 4 of the NATO treaty. It provides for consultations with all alliance partners if a member state sees its own security threatened.

Stoltenberg: Continued support for Ukraine

Stoltenberg announced that the alliance would continue to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invaders, including by supplying weapons systems to ward off attacks from the air – such as rockets, cruise missiles or drones. Expanding its own protective shield to cover the airspace over Ukraine, on the other hand, is not an issue for Allianz.

According to Stoltenberg, the missile impact shows the dangerous situations that Putin’s war of aggression keeps provoking. To prevent a repeat, Russia should end the war immediately.

With information from Stephan Ueberbach, ARD Studio Brussels, and Martin Adam, ARD Studio Warsaw