Poland steps up troop deployment on border with Putin ally Belarus after claiming Lukashenko’s helicopters buzzed through skies amid rising tensions over Ukraine war
Poland has stepped up troop deployments on its eastern border and notified NATO after two Belarusian helicopters breached airspace today, bringing tensions between Warsaw and its Moscow-allied neighbor to boiling point.
The Warsaw authorities announced that they would increase Poland’s military presence along the border and that they had summoned Belarus’ top diplomat to Warsaw in protest.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Polish military said helicopters from Belarus, a close ally of Russia, had not violated the NATO country’s airspace, but later backtracked in a subsequent statement.
It comes amid heightened concerns in Poland about mercenaries from the Russia-affiliated Wagner group arriving in Belarus following their short-lived uprising against the Kremlin in June.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said a group of “one hundred Wagner mercenaries” in Belarus had moved closer to the Polish border – what he labeled “a step towards a further hybrid assault on Polish territory.”
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin’s closest ally, taunted Poland over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries near the NATO country’s border, saying Warsaw should thank him for keeping them in check.
Poland has announced it has notified NATO after two Belarusian helicopters breached its airspace today
Earlier Tuesday, Polish residents in an area near the border with Belarus reported seeing helicopters with Belarusian badges that they said flew over
Belarus is Poland’s eastern neighbour. Warsaw has announced that it is stepping up military deployment at the border
Belarus is a close ally of Russia and has recently agreed to receive mercenaries from Wagner. File photo shows Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin
“There was a violation of Polish airspace by two Belarusian helicopters training near the border,” Poland’s defense ministry said in a statement.
“The violation occurred in the Bialowieza area at a very low altitude, hindering detection by radar systems,” the ministry said in a statement.
It added that “NATO had been made aware of the incident.”
It also said the defense minister had ordered an increase in the number of soldiers on the Belarusian border, citing intensified “hybrid actions” by Russia and Belarus against Poland.
Prime Minister Morawiecki said on Saturday: “They will probably be disguised as Belarusian border guards, helping illegal migrants enter Polish territory to destabilize Poland.”
Poland and its neighbors on NATO’s eastern flank have expressed concern over a possible threat from Belarus, which now hosts the Wagner mercenary group.
Poland and Lithuania belong to both the European Union and NATO and have concerns about their security with Russia’s ally Belarus and Ukraine on the eastern border.
For the past two years, large numbers of migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Africa have been trying to enter Poland and Lithuania, which see the migration as an attempt by Belarus, an ally of Moscow, to create instability.
Earlier Tuesday, Polish residents in an area near the border with Belarus reported seeing helicopters with Belarusian badges that they said flew overhead.
Some posted pictures of the plane. The Polish military initially denied that they had entered Polish airspace.
The Polish military initially denied that they had entered Polish airspace
Belarus had previously informed Poland of plans to hold training exercises in the area
But by evening, the Defense Ministry acknowledged that “there was a violation of Polish airspace by two Belarusian helicopters training near the border.”
It added that Belarus had previously informed Poland of plans to conduct training exercises in the area.
It said they had been flying at low altitude and had not been picked up by radar.
In response to the raid, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has ordered an increase in the number of soldiers along the border, as well as an increase in other resources, including attack helicopters, the ministry said.
Separately, the foreign ministry said the chargé d’affaires of Belarus was “immediately summoned” and that Warsaw “protested strongly and called on the Belarusian side to explain the incident immediately and in detail.”
The Polish side stressed that the incident is seen as another element of the escalation of tension on the Polish-Belarusian border. Poland expects Belarus to refrain from such activities,” the ministry said.