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Police conducting a checkpoint near the explosion site in Przewod?w, Poland. Photo by AP=Yonhap [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] On the day Russia launched a massive missile strike on Ukraine, two people died due to a missile explosion in Poland. It has been confirmed that the missile was likely a dud from Ukraine, not Russia.

On the 15th (local time), the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a missile exploded in farmland in Przewod?w, Hrubiesz?w County, Lublin Voivodeship, about 6 km from the eastern Ukraine border, killing two people.

Initially, the missile was presumed to have been launched by Russia. On that day, Russia carried out a large-scale missile strike across Ukraine, destroying more than 12 cities including the capital Kyiv.

The Polish government confirmed the missile was of Russian origin and summoned the Russian ambassador to protest. The Ukrainian government also claimed the missile was Russian-made, supporting Poland's assertion.

In response, the Russian Ministry of Defense denied striking targets near Poland.

Poland is a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) ally, and NATO maintains a collective defense system whereby an attack on one ally is considered an attack on all, prompting a collective response.

If the missile explosion in Poland had been confirmed as Russia's act, the collective defense treaty could have been triggered, escalating the Ukraine war into a direct confrontation between the West and Russia, worsening the situation.

However, it was confirmed that the missile that fell in Poland was an anti-aircraft missile mistakenly fired by the Ukrainian military. According to initial U.S. investigations, the missile that landed near the Polish border was likely a misfire based on its trajectory.

U.S. President Joe Biden, aware of the gravity of the situation, quickly disclosed this information. While attending the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, he denied the Russian involvement theory in front of leaders from key allies such as the United Kingdom and France regarding the missile explosion incident in Poland.

According to AP News citing U.S. officials, "It appears that the missile fired by the Ukrainian military to intercept an incoming Russian missile fell in Poland," based on initial investigation results. They added, "Considering the trajectory, it is unlikely that the missile was launched from Russia."

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated in a press release, "After analyzing photos of the debris found in Poland, Russian defense industry experts clearly identified it as an element of the S-300 surface-to-air guided missile system possessed by the Ukrainian Air Force." They also added that the locations Russia attacked in Ukraine were more than 35 km away from the Polish border.

Following the initial U.S. investigation results, the risk of war escalation seems to have been averted. On-site investigations will continue.

On the 16th, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg convened an emergency meeting with NATO ambassadors to discuss the matter. Regarding Ukraine's responsibility, NATO is expected to consider that on the day of the incident, Russia launched its largest missile strike since the war began, firing 85 missiles in a massive assault, and Ukraine was defending itself.

The West, including the United States, emphasizes that Russia's indiscriminate bombing of military and civilian targets constitutes a war crime.

On the same day, President Biden, meeting with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, criticized, "Even at this moment when world leaders have gathered to promote world peace, Putin (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is bombing civilians including children and women," calling Russia's actions "barbaric."