Ukrainian defence likely caused blast: Poland, Nato

Biden Says Unlikely Russia Fired Missile, Kremlin Hails US Prez’s ‘Restrained, Professional Reaction’

Poland’s president and the secretary-general of Na-to said on Wednesday that a Ukrainian air defence missile most likely caused a deadly explosion on Polish territory a day earlier but emphasised that Kyiv was not to blame for trying to defend itself.

President Andrzej Duda noted that Russian forces had launched a barrage of missile strikes on Ukraine on Tuesday. He said that early indications suggested that Ukrainian efforts to counter the barrage had caused an “unfortunate accident” in Poland — not a direct attack on his country.

“We have no evidence at the moment that it was a rocket launched by Russian forces,” Duda said. “However, there are indications that it was a missile that was used by Ukraine’s antimissile defence.”

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said a preliminary analysis suggests the incident “was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian missile attacks.” “Let me be clear. This is not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine.”