Poland has taken significant action by deploying additional troops and military equipment to its eastern border following reports of two Belarusian helicopters allegedly entering NATO airspace on Tuesday.
The Polish Defense Ministry issued a statement confirming the airspace violation, stating that the Belarusian helicopters were conducting training near the border.
In response, Minsk refuted the accusations, dismissing them as unfounded claims made by the Polish military and political leadership to justify the build-up of forces at the Belarusian border.
However, Poland later acknowledged the airspace breach, citing its occurrence in the Bialowieza area at a very low altitude, which impeded radar detection.
Notably, Minsk had informed Warsaw about conducting training exercises in the area prior to the incident.
Tensions have been escalating in the region, with Poland and neighboring NATO countries expressing concerns about potential threats from Belarus, a close ally of Russia.
The presence of a significant contingent of the Wagner mercenary group in Belarus, which sought refuge there after an alleged coup attempt against the Kremlin in June, has further heightened anxiety.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki recently expressed alarm over reports that a group of 100 Wagner mercenaries had moved closer to the border, accusing them of preparing to aid migrants in crossing into Poland as part of a hybrid effort to destabilize the country ahead of upcoming elections this fall.
In a separate accusation, Belarus has been accused of actively luring migrants to its territory with the intent of releasing them into the EU, a claim denied by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The situation remains tense, and authorities in the region are closely monitoring developments on the ground.
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