Home › Politics › European Parliament labels Russia a terrorism sponsor
European Parliament labels Russia a terrorism sponsor
Summary
A retrospective on 23 November 2022, when MEPs cited strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine, a day after Germany offered Patriot systems for Poland's border.
What did the European Parliament decide on 23 November 2022, and how did it fit with a week of anxiety on NATO's eastern flank? The Parliament designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. It cited Russian military strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine, including critical infrastructure, hospitals, schools and bomb shelters.
A day after the Patriot offer
The vote came one day after Germany said it would deploy Patriot surface-to-air missile systems on the Poland–Ukraine border to protect Polish airspace. On 22 November 2022, Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said he had accepted the German proposal.
The Przewodów incident
The offer followed the explosion in Poland on 15 November 2022. A missile struck the village of Przewodów, near the border with Ukraine, and killed two people. The incident occurred during Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Ukraine initially accused Russia of striking Poland, while the United States said the missile was likely an air-defence missile fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile. In September 2023, Poland's Prosecutor's Office later confirmed that an out-of-control Ukrainian S-300 air-defence missile caused the blast.
The two developments of 22 and 23 November 2022 were separate: one a bilateral air-defence arrangement between Berlin and Warsaw, the other a political designation by the European Parliament that rested on the damage to civilian life and infrastructure inside Ukraine.
