The Rocket Attack That Wasn’t

Firmness and unity on the part of the West are essential to Ukraine’s defense and Russia’s defeat, which may decide the fate of the world for decades. But the recent explosion in Poland triggered an astonishing sequence of events, driven by astonishing bungling by everyone but the Americans.

WARSAW – The rocket strike that killed two Poles near their country’s border with Ukraine on November 15 proved to be a test not so much of defense policy as of the information policy of Poland, Ukraine, and NATO. Only the Americans passed. The European allies and Ukraine floundered, revealing a shocking lack of preparation for a scenario that could have been predicted almost from the beginning of the war.

Poland is the largest country on NATO’s eastern flank and serves as the most important logistical hub for a war that concerns almost the whole world. Firmness and unity on the part of the West are essential to Ukraine’s defense and Russia’s defeat, which may decide the fate of the world for decades. Tuesday’s explosion in Poland, however, surprised everyone except the United States, and triggered an astonishing sequence of events, driven by astonishing bungling.

Poles learned about the rocket impact, which took place at 3:40 p.m., a little before 8:00 p.m. from the Associated Press. The Polish government remained silent until after midnight, when the foreign ministry issued a statement claiming that the incident involved a “Russian-produced missile” and demanding an explanation from Russia’s ambassador. The government placed some military units on combat alert.