Failing In Ukraine Front, Russia Provokes NATO With Missile Strike On Poland, Killing Two
An alleged Russian missile strike that has hit the Polish territory near the border with Ukraine, killing at least two people, is likely to escalate the ongoing stand-off between Moscow and NATO.
Two people were killed in an explosion in a village 6 kilometres from the border, with Polish President Andrzej Duda saying that Poland had no conclusive evidence showing who fired the missile.
AFP
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Strike on collective security: Zelensky
The incident happened hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky outlined to leaders of G20 nations his peace plan for Ukraine and after Russia unleashed what Kyiv said was the heaviest wave of missile strikes in nearly nine months of the war.
“This is a Russian missile strike on collective security!” Zelensky said in a statement, calling it “a very serious escalation.” He also urged western nations to put Russia “in its place” and branded the country as “terrorist.”
AFP
“The longer Russia feels impunity the higher is the threat for anyone within the reach of Russian missiles,” the Ukrainian president warned.
Russia denies striking Poland
The Russian Defense Ministry denied any responsibility for the incident by saying that the nation’s military did not strike any targets near the Polish-Ukrainian border. It also branded the Polish media reports a “provocation.”
Missile fragments, photos of which were published by Polish media outlets on the scene, “have nothing to do with Russian weapons,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
AFP
What is Article 4 and 5 of NATO?
After the incident, Poland has alerted its troops and is reportedly likely to request consultations under NATO’s Article 4.
According to Article 4, members can bring any issue of concern, especially related to security, for discussion, allowing for more time to determine what steps to take.
Suppose it is determined that Moscow was to blame for the blast. In that case, it could trigger NATO’s principle of collective defense known as Article 5, in which an attack on one of the Western alliance’s members is deemed an attack on all, starting deliberations on a potential military response.
This would mean a NATO-Russia face-off which it had been trying to avoid even after Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February.
The possibility of Ukraine getting a NATO membership was one of the main concerns Putin had to launch his war, which is now in its ninth month.
AFP
Will NATO declare war on Russia
While NATO member countries in their individual capacity have been supporting Ukraine in the war with arms and other supplies, it had refused to be a party in the war, despite repeated pleas by Zelensky.
But if it is proven that a Russian missile has hit Poland, NATO may have no option but to get involved.
The missile strike comes days after Russia withdrew its troops from Kherson, the only provincial capital they had managed to capture since February’s full invasion.
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