RUSSIAN BOMBS HIT POLAND
NATO to hold crisis talks as Putin’s stray missiles kill 2 in village
THE Ukraine crisis deepened last night after Russian missiles killed two people in neighbouring Poland.
NATO is considering a joint response after the attack on one of its members. The Polish government called it a “crisis situation”.
Russia fired over 100 missiles at Ukraine yesterday after it lost control of Kherson.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Terror is not limited to our borders. This is a very significant escalation.”
PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelensky warned of a “very significant escalation” in the Ukraine conflict last night after Russian missiles hit neighbouring Poland and killed two people.
The NATO member scrambled jets from Tomaszow-Lubelski airfield as border village Przewodow was rocked by two blasts.
A US intelligence official and a Kyiv security source confirmed
Poland was hit as Vladimir Putin pounded Ukraine with over 100 missiles after his forces were driven out of the key city of Kherson.
President Zelensky said: “Today, something we have been warning for a long time has happened. Terror is not limited to our state borders. Russian missiles hit Poland... hit NATO territory. This is a Russian missile attack on collective security. This is a very significant escalation. We must act.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “alarmed” by the development as Poland’s military was put on high alert and armoured units were deployed to its borders.
It was feared the strikes could cross NATO’s Article 5 red line – which states that if a NATO ally is deliberately attacked it is considered an attack on all members, sparking a serious retaliation. Article 5 was last invoked after the 9-11 terror attacks.
But sources told the Mirror Poland
had invoked the lesser Article 4 – ordering immediate crisis meetings with members to discuss a joint response.
Soon after the deaths, Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller confirmed leaders were holding an emergency meeting due to a “crisis situation”.
And the British Foreign Office confirmed they were investigating “and liaising with allies”.
A NATO official said: “We are looking into these reports and closely co-ordinating with our ally Poland.”
Moscow’s defence ministry denied the strikes, saying: “Statements by the Polish media about the alleged fall of Russian missiles … are a deliberate provocation to escalate the situation. No strikes were made against targets near the Ukrainian-Polish border.”
Poland is widely reported to be a through-hub for Western weapons into Ukraine and a host for secret troop training camps.
Yesterday’s blitz on Ukraine left apartments in Kyiv ablaze, killing at least one. Other regions hit were Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi and Rivne in the west, and Kharkiv, in the north-east. The first salvo was launched from 14 bombers in Russia as Ukraine celebrated retaking Kherson – a victory said to be akin to the D-Day landings.
Moscow and Kyiv are now in a race to replenish ammo stocks amid fears winter freezes will cause more casualties on the battlefield. It is believed Russia has few Iskander missiles left and a mere month’s supply of artillery shells. It has even been using S-300 surface-toair missiles for ground targets.
A Western official said munitions supply “is a big, limiting factor for both sides” but added: “We are still expecting it to grind on, neither side to win or lose, and that extends through 2023.”
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak was pictured glowering at Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov as he became the first UK Prime Minister to meet a Kremlin figure since the invasion of Ukraine in February.
They came face to face at the G20 summit in Indonesia, where Mr Sunak said Putin’s regime should “get out of Ukraine and end this barbaric war”.
Putin chose not to join world leaders in Bali, sending Lavrov instead.
Mr Sunak said: “The UK will back Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
This is a Russian missile attack on collective security
PRESIDENT ZELENSKY ON ESCALATION OF WAR