Russia’s intensified attacks on Ukraine could lead to more incidents, like the one that happened in Poland, Former Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army Jiří Šedivý warned.
On Tuesday, a missile struck Poland, leaving two people dead. The incident is under investigation but it is believed to have been caused by missiles fired by Ukrainian systems to protect their territory from a Russian attack targeting civil infrastructure.
According to Czech Army expert Šedivý, Western allies should prepare for such situations which might arise in the future more often.
“We have to react to the situation. Because the overall intensity of the fighting in Ukraine is increasing and the number of missile systems being used is increasing,” Šedivý told Czech Television.
“We should expect that this can happen in the future. And something much worse could happen. For example, just a technical failure of a combat missile that carries 400 kilograms of a conventional charge, and that would have very significant consequences indeed,” Šedivý warned.
Former Czech Army Chief suggests strengthening of Western missile defence system along the borders with Ukraine and Russia.
“Missile and air defences should be thickened. There should be a greater density of assets that are deployed either in Poland, Slovakia, or in the Baltic states that have these systems in their armament, or are deployed by other NATO states,” Šedivý emphasized, adding that the number of reconnaissance systems must also increase.
According to Šedivý, the overall situation of allied troops on the eastern flank of NATO needs to be improved and supported by further investments.
(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)
Source: euractiv.com
