Russian missiles that allegedly targeted Ukraine's energy facilities on Tuesday caused widespread blackouts in the area, but a senior United States intelligence official said that the projectiles crossed into Poland's territory and killed at least two people.
Another individual claimed that the apparent Russian missile attacks hit a site in the NATO member that was roughly 15 miles away from the Ukrainian border. If the strikes are confirmed, they would mark the first time in the war that Moscow's weapons have struck a NATO country.
Alleged Russian Missiles Strike Poland
However, the Russian Defense Ministry denied any responsibility for the strikes, noting that it did not target any infrastructure near the Ukrainian-Polish border. An official from NATO, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said that the military alliance was investigating the reports of the strike on Poland.
Furthermore, the United States National Security Council said that it was also looking into the reports of the alleged strikes. On the other hand, Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller confirmed that there was an explosion that resulted in the death of two people. He added that some military units were deployed and put on alert amid the investigations, as per the Associated Press.
Polish media noted that the attacks took place in an area where grain was drying in Przewodow, which is a village located near the Ukrainian border. The missile strikes also struck neighboring Moldova, which reported massive power outages after the attacks destroyed a key power line that supplied the region.
The sudden missile attacks placed many regions in Ukraine into a state of darkness and drew ire from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The official shook his fist and declared, "We will survive everything."
According to Reuters, prior to Poland's confirmation of an explosion, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patric Ryder said that they could not confirm Russian missiles landing on Polish territory. He said that at the time, they did not have sufficient information to corroborate the reports of the attacks.
Investigating the Incident
On Tuesday, following the strikes, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called an urgent meeting of a government committee for national security and defense affairs. Senior officials from various NATO members, Germany, Norway, Lithuania, and Estonia, said they were looking into the matter and coordinating with Poland and other allies.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said that the situation was a very serious incident and remained largely unclear. The strikes came as air raid sirens could be heard in Ukraine and explosions were seen in nearly a dozen major cities in the country.
The situation echoed a pattern in recent weeks that shows Moscow lashing out far from the front after significant losses on the battlefield, including most recently, losing control of Kherson. Ukraine's armed forces General Staff released a statement saying that Russia had launched 110 missiles and 10 Iranian-made drones in its most recent attacks.
American government officials also said on Tuesday that United States President Joe Biden was already briefed about the matter. They added that the Democratic leader had been in contact with Polish President Andrzej Duda via phone, USA Today reported.