Zelensky insists on blaming Russia for the missile that hit Poland and asks to participate in the investigation | International

That Ukraine’s President, Volodimir Zelensky, thinks the exact opposite of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, is nothing new. On the other hand, it is true that the Ukrainian president is left alone in the face of the suspicions aired in public by the United States and NATO, which point to kyiv as possibly responsible for the missile that landed on Polish soil on Tuesday, killing two people. “I have no doubt that this missile was not ours,” Zelenski said this Wednesday during a meeting with journalists. “I think it was a Russian missile,” he added in a less firm tone than on Tuesday, but without altering his position, which he maintains about reports from the Ukrainian military in which he “cannot stop trusting.” He then requested access to the scene. “Do we have the right to be on the investigation team? Of course”, he has asked himself and answered himself.

Ukraine has so far not accepted the possibility that this artifact is its own. What’s more, he insists that it is a Russian projectile and that, in addition, they have evidence on which to base that accusation. At the same time, they ask Warsaw that their specialists have “immediate access” to the scene and can cross to the other side of the border to participate in the investigation on the ground.

Doubts about the origin of the device, which fell on a farm in the town of Przewodów, less than 10 kilometers from Ukraine, already surfaced on Tuesday night. Despite the first indications, Zelensky was categorical in assuring: “Russian missiles hit Poland.” On Wednesday morning, the president presided over the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council in which, once again, the theory that Moscow is responsible for what happened has been insisted on.

Ukraine requests that the incident be studied in more detail and adds that it is willing to provide its partners with evidence of the Russian “trail” that they have — but have not made public — according to a statement made public after the Council meeting. They also await more information on the conclusions of several NATO countries, which point to a missile from the Ukrainian air defense system as responsible, according to the text of the Secretary of the Council, Oleksi Danilov. The kyiv authorities demand at the same time that representatives of their Ministry of Defense and the Border Guard receive authorization to reach the place of the explosion.

The incident took place during what the Ukrainian Executive described as the worst of the four massive attacks that Russia has launched since October 10 against the country’s energy infrastructure, which it invaded on a large scale on February 24. Up to fifteen power stations were hit and millions of people were left without electricity, water or access to mobile phone coverage. In the previous missile rain, that of October 31, one of the Russian missiles landed in Moldovan territory without causing casualties.

power outages

After the attacks on Tuesday, problems persist in important areas of the country. The state electricity company Ukrnergo regrets having to continue cutting off the supply, despite the fact that the temperatures are dropping and the demand from the population is increasing. In Lviv, a region in the west of the country bordering Poland, the currently available network is only capable of supporting the connection of a third of its inhabitants, local authorities reported during a hearing. kyiv accused Moscow of launching a hundred missiles on Tuesday against a dozen regions, including kyiv, of which 70 were intercepted by its anti-aircraft systems.

The missile—according to some analysts a Soviet-made S-300—hit, Western capitals interpret, as Ukraine was trying to defend itself. The explosion took place in Poland, therefore, the space of the European Union and NATO, two firm allies of kyiv in the war against Moscow. Przewodów is located six kilometers as the crow flies from the border with Ukraine. There, the Volhynia and Lviv regions were two of the target territories of the Russian attack on Tuesday. In the midst of the doubts surrounding the ongoing investigations, the international community is trying to calm the waters in the face of the risk that a war with very serious consequences could now have a new front.

Zelensky offered Polish President Andrjez Duda his condolences Tuesday night during a phone conversation in which he insisted that Russian “terrorism” was behind the incident. Both, according to the Ukrainian president, exchanged information on what was known until then about the incident in which two Polish citizens died. During his evening address, the President of Ukraine urged the international community to react to what he described as “a Russian missile attack against collective security”, which, according to the president, represented “a significant escalation”. “The longer Russia feels impunity, the more threats there will be to anyone within range of Russian missiles. To fire missiles on NATO territory, ”he assured.

Zelensky has insisted on several occasions that Ukraine should enjoy a more effective anti-aircraft shield in the current circumstances. Among the countries that are helping to improve their defense against the constant attacks from Russia is, albeit discreetly, Spain, which sent two Hawk launchers and has announced that it will send two more. Despite the fact that it is considered an outdated defense system compared to others, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yuri Ignat, stated on Tuesday that the Hawks are helpful and effective. According to this version, there is, therefore, nothing to reproach Spain for.

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