The recent incursion into Poland by two Belarusian helicopters was a deliberate move aimed at provoking Warsaw, according to Polish media reports. Initially, Warsaw denied rumors of airspace violations, but later confirmed that the border crossing occurred in the Białowieża area at a very low altitude. This made it challenging for radar systems to detect the incursion.
In response to Minsk’s taunt, Poland has decided to send additional troops to its border with Belarus. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the airspace violation and summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Belarusian embassy to explain the incident, considering it as another element contributing to the escalating tension on the Polish-Belarusian border.
Poland’s defense minister, Mariusz Błaszczak, promptly called a meeting of the National Security and Defense Affairs Committee to discuss the incident. As a result of the violation, Poland announced that it would increase the number of troops patrolling the Poland-Belarus frontier and allocate additional forces and resources to the area. NATO was also notified about the incident.
Błaszczak emphasized the importance of responsible dissemination and commentary on information related to possible further provocations, as it may be used by the Russian and Belarusian regimes. However, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense has dismissed the accusations, labeling them as “far-fetched” and fabricated to justify Poland’s military buildup by the border.
Tensions between Minsk and Warsaw have been on the rise since a group of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus moved closer to the Polish border in the previous month. Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki expressed concerns that the mercenaries could attempt to infiltrate Poland by posing as illegal immigrants and stage a “hybrid attack.”