Day 266 Roundup: US Sources Suggest Missile that Landed in Poland was Ukrainian
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Image credit:Â Reuters [via Reuters]
The Facts
- After a missile crossed Ukraine's border into Poland late on Tuesday killing two civilians, three US officials told the Associated Press that preliminary investigations suggested the projectile was an air-defense missile launched by Ukrainian forces attempting to stave off a salvo of Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
- The incident prompted widespread speculation that the missile was fired by Russia, with some calling for NATO's article 4 or article 5 to be evoked. Leaders from the G7 countries were also called into an emergency meeting while the G20 summit was underway in Indonesia.
- Asked by reporters whether the missile was in fact fired by Russia following the meeting, US Pres. Joe Biden said: "There is preliminary information that contests that. I don’t want to say that until we completely investigate. But it is unlikely in the minds [sic] of its trajectory that it was fired from Russia."
Sources Split
LEFT
CENTER
RIGHT
ESTAB
CRIT
CENTER
PRO
ESTAB
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
While the incident in Poland is unlikely to trigger NATO's article 4 or article 5, it underscores the very real risk of a full-blown Russia-NATO war in the event of an accident or a miscalculation.
Pro-Russia narrative
Premature statements from Ukrainian and Western officials that Russia was to blame for the incident in Poland are a deliberate provocation aimed at escalating the war. All Russian missiles had hit their targets precisely.