Poland’s Prime Minister convened the National Security Council.
(Photo: dpa)
Warsaw According to unconfirmed media reports, two people died when Russian missiles hit Poland on Tuesday. A representative of the Polish fire brigade confirmed two deaths in an explosion. “It’s unclear what happened,” the officer on duty said.
The Polish radio station ZET reported that two stray rockets fell in Przewodow near the border with Ukraine. The AP news agency also reported, citing US intelligence circles, that two people had been killed in the impact of Russian missiles.
It would be the first such incident in Russia’s nearly nine-month war of aggression against Ukraine. Poland is a member of the EU and the western defense alliance NATO. The US Department of Defense said the reports could not be confirmed at this time.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called a meeting of the National Security Council, his spokesman said on Twitter. According to the PAP news agency, the cabinet of the NATO member country should meet at 9:00 p.m. CET.
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However, government spokesman Piotr Müller warned against spreading untested information. All information from the Polish government’s Committee on Security and Defense should also be made available to the public later, he announced, according to the PAP.
According to Polish media reports, the explosion happened at 3:38 p.m. in the Hrubieszowski district, in the far east of the country. The nearest Polish city of Lublin is about 120 kilometers away. The reasons are unknown, the press officer of the local district fire brigade told the online portal onet.pl.
According to the website of the conservative daily Rzeczpospolita, several possible reasons are currently being investigated. Accordingly, it would also be investigated whether a military cruise missile triggered the explosion. For this purpose, currently recorded radar data is evaluated, the newspaper writes with reference to Polish government circles. According to the Internet portal Onet.pl, government circles say that Russian missiles are responsible for the explosion.
A statement from the government in Moscow was initially not available. Russia launched rocket attacks on dozens of targets in Ukraine on Tuesday. The Ukrainian Air Force reported 100 shells.
A spokesman for the US Department of Defense said in the evening: “We are aware of the press reports claiming that two Russian missiles hit a location inside Poland near the border with Ukraine. I can tell you that we currently have no information to confirm these reports and are continuing to investigate this.”
More: Explosion in Poland near Ukrainian border – US intelligence: Russian missiles flew into Polish territory