So the Third World War starts in Poland, again?
I’m desperately hoping Article 5 is invoked…
Not necessarily WWIII. NATO could make a limited response and just take out one or two missile launchers in Belarus, for example. Cruise missiles could do it. Make sure the Russians and Belarussians understand the limited nature of the attack, so they don’t think general war is breaking out.
This, of course, assumes that they establish that it was a Russian missile and not a Ukrainian one gone astray.
If it was a Russian missile, what are the chances that it was fired by a recently discharged ex-convict who’s whacked out of his head on krokodil? (Which is an even scarier thought.)
Why would anyone be desperate for that!
Yeah, I’ve seen that sentiment in several places on the internet and can’t wrap my head around it. I don’t see anything good coming from a widening conflict.
So, this was likely a Ukrainian anti-missile defense missile? I suspect everyone including Poland rightly points out that none of this wouldn’t have happened if Russia hadn’t fired that initial volley of missiles, and then the war carries on as it has, after a bunch of recriminations.
That poster has been champing at the bit since the beginning of the conflict for US/NATO to get directly militarily involved and apparently just curb stomp Russia out of Ukraine, threats of nuclear conflict and/or WWIII be damned. I don’t get it, either.
As long as one assumes the USA is invincible and one doesn’t really care what happens to the other NATO countries, a full-bore Article 5 response makes complete sense. Even if triggered by a mistaken pretext like a Ukrainian ABM gone wrong and landing in adjacent Poland.
That the above is so far from reality as to be laughable doesn’t mean it’s illogical. It’s just based on faulty premises and unrealistically narrow reasoning from those faulty premises.
A separate matter, common to every call for pre-emption in every tense place and time in history, is a belief that however dangerous the opposition is now, they’ll only be more dangerous later. So now is the best, or at least the least-bad time to strike.
That too is largely convenient BS, rather than sound analysis. But hardly rare in history, nor rare today ref NK / SK, or Russia / Ukraine, China / Taiwan, or Iran / everybody.
Most likely someone that’s going to be safe if war breaks out and doesn’t care about anybody else.
That’s a heck of an underground bunker.
It’s nice to see that Poland and NATO are being very careful to NOT attribute this to deliberate action from Russia. No need to rush into WWIII.
Current reporting says it was an anti-aircraft missile from Ukraine’s effort to intercept Russian cruise missiles.