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Polish Defense Ministry confirms that Belarusian helicopters violated the state border
&&On Tuesday evening, August 01, 2023, the Polish Ministry of National Defense announced that two Belarusian helicopters violated Polish airspace during exercises near the border, which Minsk had previously informed Warsaw about.&&
The violation occurred near the town of Bialowieza at a low altitude, which made it difficult to detect by radar systems. The ministry emphasized that initially Polish radar systems did not detect the violation, but later it was confirmed.
In response to this incident, the Polish Defense Minister ordered an increase in the number of soldiers at the border, as well as the deployment of additional forces, including combat helicopters. Poland also informed NATO of the situation and invited the Chargé d'Affaires of Belarus to explain the circumstances of the incident.
The ministry's statement also contains a reminder of the intensification of hybrid actions by Russia and Belarus against Poland, and a call for a responsible approach to disseminating and commenting on information that could be used by these regimes.
The event takes place against the backdrop of tensions in the region, in particular due to the presence of the Wagner Group militants in Belarus, which, according to Poland, poses a threat to the country. Poland has already emphasized the need to strengthen the protection of the Belarusian-Polish border, and expressed concern about the movement of Wagnerites to the strategic region near the Polish-Lithuanian border.
Photo: Eliza Kovalchyk
