ANALYSIS – In what might be the greatest (albeit perhaps accidental) escalation since Russia invaded Ukraine, the war just crossed the border into a NATO country.
According to a senior U.S. intelligence official, as Russia pounded Ukraine's energy facilities Tuesday with the largest barrage of missile strikes to date, some reportedly ‘stray' Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland and struck a site in Poland about 15 miles from the Ukrainian border.
The allegedly errant strike killed two persons in the Polish village of Przewodów and provoked an emergency crisis meeting of Poland's national security team, which will be held Tuesday evening.
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said Russia fired at least 85 missiles, “most of them at our energy infrastructure,” which shut down power and caused blackouts in many cities.
The Russian strikes also cut power to the small, neighboring non-NATO nation of Moldova.
About 40% of Ukraine's power grid was already savaged by previous Russian attacks, destroying much of the beleaguered country's energy infrastructure.
A Ukrainian Air Force spokesman said Russia used X-101 and X-555 cruise missiles in the latest attacks.
It is believed one or more of these cruise missiles were the ones that struck Poland.
Newsmax reported:
“BREAKING: 2 Russian stray missiles have just hit a farm in Przewodów on the Polish side of the Polish-Ukrainian border, killing 2 Poles. Polish PM Morawiecki & President Duda have summoned a crisis meeting of the National Security Bureau. NATO article 5?,” Visegrád 24 tweeted.
“The Polish Air Force has scrambled fighter jets from the airport in Tomaszów Lubelski. The Army and Prosecutor's Office have arrived to the farm. The reports about the missile attack are unofficial, but come from Radio Zet, a renowned Radio Station.”
A Pentagon spokesman said the Defense Department could not “corroborate” reports concerning the missiles landing in Poland but reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to defending NATO allies.
“We've been crystal clear that we will defend every inch of NATO territory,” spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a Tuesday press conference.
AP reported:
With its battlefield losses mounting [and humiliating retreat from the strategic city of Kherson], Russia has increasingly resorted to targeting Ukraine's power grid, seemingly hoping to turn the approach of winter into a weapon by leaving people in the cold and dark.
The missile barrage came as Ukrainian authorities were working furiously to get Kherson, which is without power and water, physically recovered.
The head of the U.N. human rights office's monitoring mission in Ukraine called Kherson a “dire humanitarian situation.”
Investigations have also begun into alleged Russian war crimes there and in the surrounding area.
How NATO and the U.S. will respond to this recent Russian attack, which directly impacted a NATO member, is yet to be seen. ALD
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Stray Rockets???? NO! We have Kremlin testing NATO resolve. If Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty is not triggered, the psychopathic murder in the Kremlin will fire not two but 20 “stray” rockets. This is situation in which potential victims of the Russian attack do not have a nuclear deterrent arsenal. I don’t expect Putin’s allies in Berlin, Brussels or Paris to do anything, but the moment has come to test Washington’s credibility. Maybe like in 1956 or 1969 Poland will be able to count on China, unless Warsaw promise Trump that will hit Beijing as his allied (see Trump Wants Putin To ‘Join Forces’ On China, Former Adviser Says … https://www.rferl .org/a/trump-wants-putin-to-join-forces-on-china-former-adviser-says/30916607.html ). Today with election of substantial number pro-Putin republican senators and congressman and Kevin McCarthy most likely speaker of the House, there must be loud cheers on Kremlin and my hero Ronald Reagan must be turning in hus grave! If America betray Ukraine, Putin could snatch victory from the jaws of his defeat After eight years of Husein Obama imitating Jimmie Carter in the White House I was convinced that there cannot be worse situation in America. Donald Trump proven me wrong. This ignorant oligarch dressed as politician, targeted primary loyal American allies and reached to psychopathic killer in Kremlin to wage the war on China (Trump Wants Putin To ‘Join Forces’ On China, Former Adviser Says … https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-wants-putin-to-join-forces-on-china-former-adviser-says/30916607.html )