DISINFO: The Western reaction to the missile incident in Poland was Russophobic
SUMMARY
The West presented a hysterical, mad, Russophobic reaction to the missile incident in Poland – this reaction was not based on any real data. The senior representatives of different countries made anti-Russian statements without having any idea what exactly happened and what was the cause of the accident.
RESPONSE
This message is a part of the Kremlin’s narrative about the Russophobic and anti-Russian West. Pro-Kremlin outlets regularly accuse the authorities of Western countries of Russophobia and inspiring anti-Russian sentiments in order to reach particular domestic goals.
This claim was made in connection with the recent missile accident in Poland. On 15 November 2022, an S-300 missile entered Polish airspace from the territory of Ukraine, killing two Polish civilians. According to the US and Polish officials, the missile was fired by the Ukrainian air defence troops, which tried to fight a large-scale Russian missile attack taking place on the same day. According to the statement of Polish President Andrzej Duda, this situation is an “unfortunate accident” which is a result of a massive Russian missile attack on Ukraine. According to Nato's position, “Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine”.
At the same time, the Polish authorities and NATO representatives underline that this missile accident was not a deliberate attack on Poland and “there are no indications that Russia is preparing offensive military actions against NATO”.
See other examples of similar messages claiming that constant intimidation with Russia is used to make Poland economically dependent on the USA, that the Polish authorities created an insane hysteria of intimidation with Russia and that the national security strategy of Poland is a manifestation of traditional Russophobia of the Polish authorities.