NATO member Poland puts military on alert after suspected missile strike

Poland has put some military units in a heightened state of readiness, after what it alleged was a Russian missile hitting an eastern village, a claim Moscow immediately rejected, soaring tensions across Europe, with NATO members meeting at the request of Warsaw on basis of the military alliance's Article 4, according to several diplomats.

The Russian-made missile landed in Poland at 1440 GMT on Tuesday and killed two people in the village of Przewodow, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lukasz Jasina said in a statement.

"A Russian-made missile fell, killing two citizens of the Republic of Poland," Jasina said, adding that the Russian ambassador to Poland had been summoned to give "immediate detailed explanations".

Russia rejected the allegation as "deliberate provocation". 

Statements of Polish media and officials about the alleged fall of "Russian" missiles are a "deliberate provocation in order to escalate the situation," Moscow said.

"No strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish state border were made by Russian means of destruction. The wreckage published by Polish media in hot pursuit from the scene in the settlement of Przewodow has nothing to do with Russian weapons."

"We do not have any conclusive evidence at the moment as to who launched this missile... it was most likely a Russian-made missile, but this is all still under investigation at the moment," President Andrzej Duda told reporters.

Warsaw government spokesperson Piotr Muller earlier told reporters "there has been a decision to raise the state of readiness of some combat units and other uniformed services."

"Our services are on the ground at the moment working out what happened," he said after an emergency security council meeting in Warsaw.

Polish media reported that the explosion occurred in a farm building in the village of Przewodow near the border with Ukraine.

READ MORE: Countries react as 'missile strike' in Poland raises tensions

NATO meet

Polish President Duda also spoke to US President Joe Biden and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and officials said Poland sought urgent consultations with NATO leaders under the alliance's Article 4.

Article 4 of the NATO Treaty states that consultations can be called when any NATO member feels their "territorial integrity, political independence or security" are at risk.

NATO bloc said its ambassadors will meet on Wednesday at the request of Poland.

Alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg will hold urgent talks with bloc ambassadors, a spokesperson said.  

"The Secretary General will chair an emergency meeting of NATO ambassadors tomorrow to discuss this tragic incident," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said.

US offers Poland full support

President Biden offered his Polish counterpart Duda full US support with the country's probe into a blast that killed two people near the border with Ukraine, the White House said.

"President Biden offered full US support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation," the White House said after the pair spoke.

Earlier, Radio Lublin of Poland reported that emergency officials and army troops have reached the scene of the explosion in the Lublin district.

"The causes of this incident are not known at the moment," Marcin Lebiedowicz, spokesperson of the local State Fire Service office, told Radio Lublin.

"We have received a report of an explosion at the yard. Upon arrival, we confirm that something like this has happened. Two people died on the spot. At the moment, we are securing the scene of the incident and lighting the area of action," Lebiedowicz added.

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