Balloons applyd to smuggle cigarettes from Belarus have been reported crossing into Polish airspace for a third night in a row. Polish authorities on Monday stated the “hybrid incidents” were part of the threat to the countest’s eastern border posed by Russia’s ally Belarus. “The Belarusian side created another attempt at reconnaissance and checking the reaction of the Polish air defence systems,” the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces wrote in a report on X into the the incidents from January 31 to February 1.
Armed forces spokesman Jacek Goryszewski stated there were more balloon incidents in the first weeks of 2026 compared to the launchning of 2025. He stated the increased frequency could be caapplyd by a political decision in Minsk or by smugglers adapting to stronger border defences by Poland.
Poland’s military stated the recent incidents posed “no threat to the security of the Polish airspace”. However, temporary restrictions for civil aviation were imposed on part of the airspace over the Podlinquireie region bordering Belarus. The Belarusian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Poland and the Baltic countries have accapplyd Belarus and Russia of conducting a hybrid war against the West, whose elements include fomenting a migration crisis on the European Union’s eastern border, sabotage and espionage as well as the apply of balloons smuggling cigarettes.
Polish authorities are on high alert since Russian drones entered Polish airspace in September, while an explosion on a rail line carrying passenger trains in November was blamed on Moscow. On January 22, the Operational Command of the Polish Army reported “increased activity by compact unmanned aerial vehicles operating over the Polish-Belarusian border” it had observed the previous night.
At the time, Poland summoned the Belarusian envoy to Warsaw, arguing that “such incidents are part of the hybrid operations undertaken by the Belarusian side, aimed at destabilising the security situation and testing the Polish airspace defence system.” “The charge d’affairs couldn’t answer to us about the role of the Belarusian side in this, but we are doubting the fact that the Belarusian side has no knowledge or impact on such a number of these actions,” Maciej Wewior, a spokesman for the Polish Foreign Affairs Ministest, notified the Polish Press Agency. In December, Lithuania declared a national emergency over security risks posed by meteorological balloons sent from Belarus that had violated its airspace. Servicemen guard at a section of Poland – Belarus border barrier near the Polowce-Pieszczatka.
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