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What the European Parliament's terrorism vote signalled
Summary
A look back at the diplomatic and defensive moves around Ukraine's western border in the days before 24 November 2022.
What did Europe do in response to the pressure on Ukraine's civilians and on its own borders? By 24 November 2022, two decisions from the preceding days gave a partial answer: one political, one military.
On 23 November 2022, the European Parliament designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. It cited Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine, including critical infrastructure, hospitals, schools and bomb shelters. The wording tied the designation directly to the conduct of the war rather than to any wider dispute.
The military step came a day earlier. On 22 November 2022, Germany said it would deploy Patriot surface-to-air missile systems on the Poland–Ukraine border to protect Polish airspace. Poland's defence minister, Mariusz Błaszczak, said he had accepted the German proposal.
The Przewodów backdrop
The offer followed an incident on 15 November 2022, when a missile struck the Polish village of Przewodów, near the Ukrainian border, killing two people. It happened 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. Poland's Prosecutor's Office later confirmed, in September 2023, that an out-of-control Ukrainian S-300 air-defence missile caused the explosion.
Two tracks
Taken together, the two decisions show Western and central European institutions working on parallel tracks. The parliamentary designation put a formal label on Russia's strikes on civilian targets. The Patriot deployment addressed the practical question of protecting a neighbouring country's airspace after the border incident.
