This is an extremely delicate situation stirring with Russia that could easily springboard us into WWIII. Reports show that a Russian missile reported hit Pollard, a member of NATO. Right now officials are reviewing evidence to be clear on what direction the missile traveled and the intention behind the explosion.
Russia of course denied striking Polland and denied being part of military action in the area. The good news is that satellites have been razor focused on Ukraine and footage is currently under review. Experts expect to know within a few hours a clearer picture of what happened but talks of enacting Article 5 are already underway.
Article 5 is in essence, “an attack on one is an attack on all”, meaning that NATO will have to respond but the results of the investigation can greatly impact the level of that response.
Ukraine was not a member of NATO and the allied countries were not under obligation to take any action. The same does not apply to Polland, who is an active member of NATO.
Officials are currently keeping cool heads and moving forward with caution because the stakes are incredibly high. The missile struck Polland as Russia was carrying out its heaviest attack on Ukraine since the start of the war. Reports show that Russia was attacking Ukraine’s power grid which caused widespread outages.
The missile that struck Polland hit a grain facility which does seem tactical as the UK prepares to enter winter with fuel and energy shortages but does not mean the attack was intentional.
A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the alliance was looking into reports of a strike in Poland. The U.S. National Security Council said it was also looking into the reports.
Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller did not immediately confirm the information from the U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation. But Mueller said top leaders were holding an emergency meeting due to a “crisis situation.”
Polish media reported that two people died Tuesday afternoon after a projectile struck an area where grain was drying in Przewodów, a Polish village near the border with Ukraine.
Neighboring Moldova was also affected. It reported massive power outages after the strikes knocked out a key power line that supplies the small nation, an official said.
Currently, there are three schools of thought at play;
It was an intentional strategic attack from Russia in efforts to escalate the war;
It was a stray missile that hit an unintended target;
The missile was deflected by Ukraine’s anti-strike forces and entered Polland in error.
Whatever the case may be, officials are warning against speculation until all the facts are out on the table. The G20 summit in Bali is currently underway. Putin was not disinvited to the Summit but also did not attend.