NATO, Poland: No, Missile Wasn't Fired by Russia

Jens Stoltenberg, Polish prez say fatal incident was most likely Ukrainian air defense missile
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 16, 2022 8:14 AM CST
Missile That Struck Poland 'Most Likely' Ukrainian
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press conference at the NATO headquarters, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022 in Brussels.   (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)

First President Biden expressed doubt that a missile that killed two in Poland had been fired by Russia. Now, NATO's chief and Poland's president are doing the same. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that there is "no indication" of a deliberate Russian attack and preliminary analysis indicates the "most likely" cause to be a Ukrainian air defense missile, per the BBC. Polish President Andrzej Duda added there was a "high chance" that a Ukrainian air defense missile fell on Poland by accident, per CNN. Initial reports claimed Russian-made missiles had struck Poland, a NATO member, raising fears that other NATO allies would be forced to respond.

Stoltenberg did not fault Ukraine. Indeed, he said "Russia bears the ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine," having launched dozens of missiles at various sites on Tuesday. He also said NATO's "top priority" is to provide more air defense systems to Ukraine. However, some will question Ukraine's early denials of involvement. President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia while Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba claimed any suggestion of Ukrainian involvement was a Russian conspiracy theory, per the BBC. Ukraine is now calling for a "joint study" into the incident outside the rural village of Przewodow while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov decries "another hysterical frenzied Russophobic reaction," per CNN. (More Poland stories.)

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