Poland alerts NATO, sends more troops to border after accusing Belarus of violating its airspace

By kevinhughes // 2023-08-06

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Poland's Ministry of Defense is claiming that at least two Belarusian military helicopters violated Polish airspace during a training exercise. The Belarusian government had earlier informed the Polish Defense Ministry that it was conducting military training exercises. But this did not stop Polish Minister of Defense Mariusz Blaszczak from reacting to the alleged violation of Polish sovereignty by deploying even more troops to the border with Belarus. (Related: Powder keg Europe: Poland moves troops to Belarus border – Russia’s Putin vows to protect Belarusian allies, says Polish want to annex Ukrainian territory.) Poland had initially denied the incursion before finally admitting that the alleged crossing of two helicopters happened near the border village of Bialowieza. The flight reportedly occurred at a very low altitude, hampering detection by Polish radar systems. Polish residents reported the alleged crossing and posted photos and videos of it on social media. The Polish government claims to have already informed its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of the border crossing. Blaszczak noted that Belarus' chargé d'affaires in Poland was "immediately summoned" to explain the situation, and that Warsaw had "issued a firm protest" against the incursion. "The Polish side emphasized that the incident is perceived as another element of the escalation of tension on the Polish-Belarusian border," said the Foreign Ministry in a statement. "Poland expects Belarus to refrain from such activities." Poland's Defense Ministry later warned that it was sending "additional forces and resources, including combat helicopters" to the border.

Belarus denies violating Polish territory

The Armed Forces of Belarus denied any such violation of Polish territory, and accused Poland of inventing the accusation to justify a buildup of its troops on the border. "This statement was not backed up by data from Poland," said the Belarusian Ministry of Defense in a statement disseminated through official Telegram channels. "The Belarusian Defense Ministry views it in the manner of an 'old wives' tale' and notes there were no border violations by Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters." "Accusations of a violation of the Polish border by Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Forces are far-fetched and made by the Polish military and political leadership to justify the build-up of forces and means at the Belarusian border," the Defense Ministry added. The Belarusian Defense Ministry also accused Warsaw of changing its mind about whether or not the incursion actually happened "apparently after consulting its overseas masters," referring to NATO and the United States. Tensions between Belarus and Poland have been escalating in recent weeks. Russian President Vladimir Putin even claimed that Poland may be harboring territorial ambitions on Belarus, warning that any attack on its neighbor would be considered an attack on Moscow itself. More recently, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki sounded the alarm after he claimed that a group of at least 100 Russian Wagner Group mercenaries had been stationed close to the Belarusian side of the border. In response, Poland began moving at least 1,000 of its own troops closer to its side of the border. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has admitted to the presence of Wagner mercenaries, mockingly informing Poland that it should thank him for keeping them in check since many of the fighters were keen to press into Poland and "go on a trip to Warsaw." Follow WWIII.news for more news about the ongoing tension between Belarus and Poland. Watch the video below to know why Poland moved thousands of its troops near its border with Belarus. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

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Belarus denies violating Polish territory

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