Poland has summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Belarusian Embassy to the Foreign Ministry on an urgent basis after two Belarusian helicopters allegedly violated Polish airspace.
Polish media reported on Tuesday that two Belarusian helicopters flew over the town of Bialowieza near the Polish-Belarusian border. Photos of the helicopters were also posted by local volunteer Eliza Kovalchyk.
Independent investigators found that the Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters flew about 3 km deep into Polish territory, before turning and flying back to Belarus.
The Polish authorities initially denied the violation of airspace and claimed that the surveillance systems did not detect the Belarusian helicopters.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland expressed its strong protest and called on the Belarusian side to immediately provide a detailed explanation of the incident. The Polish side emphasized that this incident is seen as another element of escalating tensions on the Polish-Belarusian border. Poland expects Belarus to refrain from such actions,” the Polish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In the wake of today’s incident, Minister Mariusz Blaszczak ordered an increase in the number of troops at the border and the allocation of additional forces and equipment, including combat helicopters. The incident was reported to NATO.
The country’s Defense Ministry reminds that Russia and Belarus have recently intensified hybrid activities against Poland.
“In view of possible further provocations, we urge you to responsibly disseminate and comment on information that could be used by the Russian and Belarusian regimes,” the Polish Defense Ministry wrote.
