WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) – A senior U.S. intelligence official said Russian missiles crossed into Poland, killing two people, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation, the AP reported. Reuters could not immediately confirm the information.
Firefighters in Poland said on Tuesday two people died in an explosion in Przewodów, a village of 710 residents in eastern Poland, which is situated some 130 kilometres southeast of the regional capital Lublin and 7 kilometres from Ukraine.
The deadly incident marks the first time a Russian attack on Ukraine has killed someone inside neighbouring Nato territory since the start of the war.
In a statement on Telegram on Tuesday evening, the Russian Ministry of Defence rejected the possibility of its missiles striking Poland as a “deliberate provocation in order to escalate the situation.”
“No strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish state border were made by Russian rockets.”
The images of the wreckage published by local media in Poland “has nothing to do with Russian weapons,” it added.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has called an urgent meeting of a government committee for national security and defense affairs, the government spokesman said on Twitter. State news agency PAP said the meeting was to be held at 8pm GMT.
NATO — of which Poland is a member — is analysing reports claiming that the blast that killed at least two near the border with Ukraine was caused by stray Russian rockets, according to a security alliance official on Tuesday evening.
“We are looking into these reports and closely coordinating with our ally Poland,” a NATO official told Euronews.
Latvia’s deputy prime minister, Artis Pabriks, said Moscow had fired missiles that landed in Poland and sent Warsaw his condolences.
The Latvian government is to convene for an emergency meeting Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said on Twitter.
“Tomorrow, at 10:00 am, I have called an emergency government meeting to listen to the reports of the responsible ministries and institutions on the security situation in the region and to be ready for further action,” Kariņš said.
“Latvia and its NATO allies are ready for any situation to defend their citizens and territories,” he added
President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda stated that the “news of at least two explosions” was “concerning”.
“Keeping a close contact with our Polish friends. Lithuania stands in strong solidarity with Poland. Every inch of NATO territory must be defended,” Nauseda stated on Twitter.
UPDATE – The Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told a news briefing “We are aware of the press reports alleging that two Russian missiles have struck a location inside Poland near the Ukraine border. I can tell you that we don’t have any information at this time to corroborate those reports and are looking into this further.” A UK Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are investigating these reports and liaising closely with allies.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has convened a meeting of the defence council on Tuesday after crude shipments on the Druzhba pipeline were suspended and there was an explosion in a village in eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine.
Hungary’s defence minister had consulted with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg over the phone before the meeting, Orban’s press chief told state news agency MTI.
Latvian Deputy Prime Minister Artis Pabriks sent condolences to Poland in a tweet. “Criminal Russian regime fired missiles which target not only Ukrainian civilians but also landed on NATO territory in Poland,” he wrote. “Latvia fully stands with Polish friends and condemns this crime.”
Estonia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said that Estonia is ready to defend every inch of NATO territory.
UPDATE – The euro regained some lost ground after falling sharply against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday following reports that Russian missiles had hit Poland and killed two people.
The euro EUR=EBS was last up 0.06% at $1.0331 after falling as much as 0.44%. The euro had earlier risen as much as 1.5% against the greenback following economic data.
Reuters / Sky News / The Telegraph / Tpyxa News
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