An investigation into the explosion, which took place Tuesday afternoon in Przevodov, ten kilometers from the border with Ukraine, suggests that it was carried out by Ukrainian forces in an attempt to intercept Russian missiles, as the Associated Press suggested this morning, citing an American. sources. Hours later First cry NATO sources confirmed the news, assuring that US President Joe Biden had informed his G7 partners and allies that the explosion in Poland was caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile.

The US President has already warned from Bali, where he is attending the G20, that he considers it “unlikely” that the missile was fired from Russia. It has now been confirmed that the attack did not come from Russia.

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in its first assessment, described the missile as a “Russian-made” device. These may be S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems, which Ukraine also has. The explosion killed two farmers aged 62 and 64. Not far from Pshevodov in Ukraine is the Dobrotvorskaya power plant, which was fired upon by Russian missiles.

After a meeting of the Committee of the Council of Ministers on National Security and Defense Affairs, they put the troops on alert and summoned the Russian ambassador to Warsaw for consultations.

NATO is hosting a meeting of NATO ambassadors this Wednesday, chaired by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. There was a possibility that Article 4 would be invoked, which calls for the Atlantic Alliance to consult in case an ally feels threatened. It has already been activated several times. If it had been considered an accident, Article 5 or collective protection would not have applied. In any case, its application requires unanimity and does not always entail a military response.

This is the first time Russia has attacked a NATO country since it invaded Ukraine on February 24. From the beginning, the case was treated as if it were an accident and not a deliberate attack. The answer would change significantly, although it is clear that its source is the counterattack launched by the Kremlin throughout Ukraine in response to its defeat in Kherson over the weekend.

The Ukrainian authorities, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, have most sharply accused the Kremlin. “Terror is not limited to our national borders. Russian missiles hit Poland… They fired missiles at NATO territory. This is a Russian attack on collective security. This is a significant rise. We must act.”

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov recalled that everything happened in response to a warning from Kyiv. “We have been asking for a long time to close the heavens, because heaven has no boundaries. They don’t have them for Russia and its unguided missiles. Our neighbors in the EU and NATO do not have them. Down with the gloves. It’s time to win.” Ukraine will insist that they need longer range missiles like the ATACMS with a range of 300 kilometers. HIMARS anti-missiles allowed Ukraine to make significant advances against Russian forces.

However, the Russian Defense Ministry denied the fact of an attack on Polish territory and assured that the remains found were not Russian. They even called it a “deliberate provocation” aimed at escalating the conflict. Having fired hundreds of missiles at infrastructure vital to Ukrainians, Russia is washing its hands again.

As Julian Borger says, Guardian“Even if this incident can be contained, this does not mean that the risks of a clash between Russia and NATO due to a miscalculation are unrealistic. Kyiv wants to connect with NATO as much as possible in order to restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.”

The one that has been fueling the fire since February 24 is the Kremlin, and the risk of a missile or air defense distraction, as we have just seen, is high. We are on the edge of the abyss.