Poland's president says missile that killed two likely fired by Ukraine in defense against Russian attack - CNN

Bali, Indonesia CNN  — 

Polish President Andrzej Duda said the rocket that killed 2 radical successful eastbound Poland connected Tuesday was apt fired by Ukrainian forces defending against a question of Russian rocket strikes, and that the incidental appeared to beryllium an accident.

“There is nary denotation that this was an intentional onslaught connected Poland. Most likely, it was a Russian-made S-300 rocket,” Duda said successful a tweet Wednesday. He aboriginal told a property league that determination was a “high chance” it was an aerial defence rocket from the Ukrainian broadside and apt had fallen connected Polish territory successful “an accident” portion intercepting incoming Russian missiles.

Duda’s comments were successful enactment with those of 2 officials briefed connected archetypal US assessments, who told CNN it appears the rocket that originated successful Ukraine, adjacent though it was Russian-made.

CNN has not confirmed the benignant of rocket that landed successful Poland. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces person utilized Russian-made munitions during the nine-month conflict, including the S-300 aboveground to aerial rocket system, which Kyiv has deployed arsenic portion of its aerial defenses. These older-generation weapons systems day backmost to the play erstwhile some Russia and Ukraine were portion of the Soviet Union.

The rocket landed extracurricular the agrarian Polish colony of Przewodow, astir 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) westbound from the Ukrainian borderline connected Tuesday afternoon, astir the aforesaid clip arsenic Russia launched its biggest question of rocket attacks connected Ukrainian cities successful much than a month.

The US officials said Wednesday that US appraisal is what President Joe Biden appeared to beryllium alluding to successful earlier remarks erstwhile helium said it was “unlikely” the rocket originated successful Russia. The quality assessments were discussed astatine an exigency gathering called by Biden connected the margins of the G20 acme successful Bali.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg besides said determination was nary denotation the incidental was the effect of a deliberate attack.

“Our preliminary investigation suggests that the incidental was apt caused by the Ukrainian aerial defence rocket fired to support Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise rocket attacks,” Stoltenberg told a property league pursuing an exigency gathering of NATO ambassadors successful Brussels Wednesday.

“But fto maine beryllium clear, this is not Ukraine’s fault,” helium said. “Russia bears eventual responsibility, arsenic it continues its amerciable warfare against Ukraine.”

Stoltenberg added that “we person nary denotation that Russia is preparing violative subject actions against NATO.”

A associated connection pursuing the exigency gathering astatine the G20 was deliberately ambiguous erstwhile it came to the incident, putting acold much absorption connected the dozens of strikes that happened successful the hours earlier the rocket crossed into Poland.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that 3 US officials said preliminary assessments suggested the rocket was fired by Ukrainian forces successful an effort to intercept an incoming Russian strike. The officials spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to sermon the substance publicly, according to the AP.

A spokesperson with the US National Security Council declined to remark connected the AP report. “We person nary remark and volition not beryllium confirming this report. As the President said today, we enactment Poland’s ongoing probe to fig retired precisely what happened,” the spokesperson said.

Earlier, Biden said preliminary accusation suggests it is improbable the rocket that landed successful Poland was fired from Russia aft consulting with allies astatine the G20 Summit successful Bali.

“I don’t privation to accidental that [it was fired from Russia] until we wholly investigate,” Biden went on. “It’s improbable successful the minds of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia. But we’ll see.”

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia doesn’t person “any relation” with the rocket incidental successful Poland, and that immoderate leaders person made statements without knowing “what really happened.”

“The Poles had each accidental to instantly study that they were talking astir the wreckage of the S-300 aerial defence strategy missile. And, accordingly, each experts would person understood that this could not beryllium a rocket that had immoderate narration with the Russian Armed Forces,” Peskov said during a regular telephone with journalists.

“We person witnessed different hysterical frenzied Russophobic reaction, which was not based connected immoderate existent evidence.

“High-ranking leaders of antithetic countries made statements without immoderate thought astir what really happened.”

These older-generation weapons systems day backmost to the play erstwhile some Russia and Ukraine were portion of the Soviet Union.

In a connection to CNN connected Wednesday, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not explicitly contradict reports the rocket originated successful Ukraine but emphasized Russia’s work for starting the war.

“There is lone 1 logic to beryllium followed,” Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the caput of the Office of the Ukrainian President, said. “The warfare was started and is being waged by Russia. Russia is massively attacking Ukraine with cruise missiles. Russia has turned the eastbound portion of the European continent into an unpredictable battlefield. Intent, means of execution, risks, escalation – it is each coming from Russia alone.”

“And determination tin beryllium nary different mentation for immoderate rocket incidental here. So erstwhile an aggressor state launches a deliberate, monolithic rocket onslaught against a ample state connected the European continent with its obsolete Soviet-era weapons (Kh-class missiles), calamity sooner oregon aboriginal occurs connected the territories of different states arsenic well.”

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force said connected nationalist tv Wednesday that it volition “do everything” to facilitate a Polish probe into the strike.

“What happened was the Air Defense Force repelling the aerial attack,” Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for Air Force Command Ukraine, said. “What happened adjacent – whether it was a Russian missile, oregon this was the wreckage of some rockets falling – this has to beryllium inspected astatine the site. And that is what is happening close now.”

He added that “what happened yesterday is evidently the consequences of the war.”

Russia unleashed a huge barrage of 85 missiles connected Ukraine Tuesday, predominantly targeting vigor infrastructure. The bombardment caused metropolis blackouts and knocked retired powerfulness to 10 cardinal radical nationwide.

Zelensky aboriginal confirmed connected Twitter that powerfulness had been restored to 8 cardinal consumers. “Supply to 8 cardinal consumers has already been restored. Power engineers and repairmen volition enactment each night. Thanks to everyone!”

Ukrainians crossed the state were expected to look further scheduled and unscheduled powerfulness cuts Wednesday.

“Massive rocket strikes connected November 15 connected the vigor infrastructure and acold upwind further analyzable the concern with the powerfulness system,” the authorities vigor institution NPC Ukrenergo said successful a statement.

“Please hole for longer powerfulness cuts: banal up connected water, complaint your devices and powerfulness banks successful beforehand to enactment successful interaction with your loved ones.”