Late on Tuesday night, long after the villagers of Przewodów located near the Polish border with Ukraine, had turned in for the night, a missile struck, killing two people. The deceased are believed to be civilians.

While Poland was understandably still in shock, Ukraine promptly blamed it on the Russians.

Hiwever, Russia denied all allegations of striking Poland.

Shortly afterwards, social media was abuzz with what this could mean for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Poland is a part of the NATO, and had suffered casualties due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Many sited Article 5, that deals with collective defence, and provided grounds for a strike against Russia by NATO forces. According to Article 5, “Collective defence means that an attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies.”

Invoking Article 5 could be catastrophic given how volatile the situation in Europe is already due to the conflict – lives have been lost, the refugee crisis has put strain on Ukraine’s allies, and the economy has been in a spiral due to rising fuel prices. Many people feared that a NATO strike could trigger the Third World War.

Thankfully, better sense prevailed, and world leaders steered clear of doomsday scenarios, choosing wisely instead to express their condolences for the lives lost in Poland, and to monitor developments.

An investigation into the origin of the missile has been sought by various world leaders.

*Feature image: Google Maps