Did Russia just go one step too far?

[Suff]

Russian missiles have killed two people in NATO member Poland, a senior US intelligence official has told the AP news agency.

[miasmum]

I suppose the crux of the matter is, did they intend to attack Poland or did the missiles stray out of range?

[TheOstrich]

We must not rush to judgement.
It's been suggested it could even have been a stray S-300 Ukranian defensive missile.
Facts will out .....

[Workingman]

From the same article..

Mr Duda [Polish President] added that there was no "definite evidence" of who had fired the rocket, describing it as a one-off incident, with no indications it would be repeated.

Let's not jump to conclusions just yet.

[miasmum]

If Mr Duda isn't panicking then I doubt we need to

[cromwell]

Facts will out .....

Let's hope so.

[Suff]

Oh I'm not angling for a major inclusion in the war. However the Article 4 meeting to follow may get members to decide to give Ukraine fully front line anti missile and anti aircraft systems in sufficient volume to block both Russian missile strikes and also plane incursions.

After all if Ukraine stop them early then this isn't going to happen no matter who the missile belonged to. Now that Ukraine is on the offensive and not the defensive it is easier to give them weapons which we don't want to fall into Russian hands.

We shall see. It might get the fence post out of some rear ends.

[Workingman]

It is starting to look like a Ukrainian defensive S-300 missile that missed its target and just carried on in the same trajectory till falling to earth. A friendly fire mishap - these things happen.

Unfortunately Ukraine is using its stocks of Russian made S-300s, plus others from former Warsaw pact countries, making it difficult to tell who did what. The range of the S-300 makes it unlikely to be fired by the Russians unless from Belarus.

[Suff]

Hence a better SAM cover which can be rolled east and keep these rockets out of NATO territories.

Maybe.

[Workingman]

The S-300 series is almost as good as our best alternatives.

We need to stop kidding ourselves that we have the best of the best and the Russian stuff is crap. It is simply not true.

Their untrained infantry conscripts might not be up to the job, but that does not hold true for their armaments and other hardware. They have very capable subs, ships, aircraft and cruise missiles... it is why NATO is treading very lightly.