Moscow slams Poland's 'provocative' claim of Russian missile as reports blame Ukraine

Russia's defense ministry has fiercely rejected Poland's claim of a Russian missile striking Polish territory, slamming the allegation as "deliberate provocation aimed at escalating the situation", amid reports, which blame Ukraine for the strike.

"No strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish state border were made by Russian means of destruction," the ministry said in an official statement amid rising tensions over the war on Ukraine that began in February.

The Russian ministry further emphasized that the wreckage reportedly discovered at the scene of the strike "has nothing to do with Russian weapons."

Latest reports by the Associate Press, cited US officials as saying that the missile was fired by Ukrainian forces while aiming at “an incoming Russian missile.”

The missile landed on Tuesday outside the rural Polish village of Przewodow -- nearly 6.4 kilometers west of the Ukrainian border, killing two people.

Press reports citing witnesses to the blast described hearing a terrifying “whoosh”, with the force of the explosion shaking the nearby areas.

This is while the circumstances surrounding the incident – marking the first time a member of the US-led NATO military alliance comes under a direct missile hit during the nearly 9-month conflict – remains unclear. It has not yet been clear who launched the missile and where it originated from, but the Polish Foreign Ministry merely described it as “Russian-made.”

Both Russia and Ukraine rely on variations of Soviet-era weapons, although Russia's are more modern. Western-backed Ukraine has also deployed Russian-made missiles as part of their air defense system, besides Western weapons in their arsenal.

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Meanwhile, world leaders gathering at the G20 summit in Indonesia are reportedly scrambling to diffuse further escalation of the Ukraine war following the missile strike.

US President Joe Biden said at a press briefing following an emergency meeting with other G7 and NATO leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the resort city of Bali that preliminary information suggested that it was “unlikely” the missile was fired from within Russia, noting that he could not yet confirm what happened until investigations into the incident were complete.

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“We agreed to support Poland’s investigation into the explosion … And I’m going to make sure we figure out exactly what happened,” Biden declared.

“Then we’re going to collectively determine our next step as we investigate and proceed. There was total unanimity among the folks at the table,” he further asserted.

The US president also said he briefed the allied leaders on his earlier discussions with Polish President Andrzej Duda and with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Duda reiterated in remarks made from the Bureau of National Security in Warsaw that while it was not clear who launched the missile, it was “most likely” produced in Russia.

“We are working calmly and in a very calm manner,” Duda further underlined, pointing out that Washington would dispatch experts to investigate the site as part of a joint operation.

Speaking after a phone conversation with Duda on Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also said it was “important that all facts are established.”

“I offered my condolences for the loss of life. NATO is monitoring the situation and Allies are closely consulting. Important that all facts are established,” Stoltenberg declared in a statement.

Moscow, meanwhile, has denied involvement in the missile strike, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov insisting in an interview with the US-based CNN news outlet that he had no information on an explosion in Poland.

Rejecting Polish media reports of the incident, Russia’s Defense Ministry further emphasized that photos of the wreckage published by the news outlets in Poland “from the scene in the village of Przewodow have nothing to do with Russian weapons.”

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Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also clarified that evidence suggests the missile that landed in Przewodów was a “single act” and there is no evidence of further missile strikes.

He emphasized, however, that Poland is increasing its military readiness, and that Warsaw is conducting a thorough analysis and consultations with its allies regarding the potential use of Article 4 of the NATO military alliance. Article 4 allows for any member to seek consultations with the rest of the alliance and member states.

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