Poland said on Tuesday it was rushing troops to its eastern border after accusing Belarus, Russia’s closest ally, of violating its airspace with military helicopters. Warsaw said two Belarusian aircraft had entered Polish territory near the border city of Bialowieza and were conducting training exercises close to the border. The Defense Ministry said the intrusion was “a serious violation” and that it had informed NATO about it.
It added that it would increase its presence along the border, summoning Belarus’ charge d’affaires in protest and letting it know it expected an explanation. The move comes amid rising tensions with Belarus, which has seen many migrants and refugees cross its borders from non-European countries.
Belarus dismissed the claims as a “far-fetched accusation” made by Poland, which it accused of fabricating the incident to justify a buildup of its forces near the border. Belarusian Defense Minister Andrei Ravdin, in a statement on Telegram, called the accusations “something akin to folk’s gossip.”
After consulting with its overseas allies, he also accused Poland of changing its position. “The military leadership of the Polish state and political leaders are making these changes to justify their buildup of forces and means on the border with Belarus,” he said.
The Defense Ministry said the aircraft was flying at shallow height, making them difficult to intercept by radar systems. It added that the aircraft was spotted near a military base on the border with Ukraine, where Russia had put air-raid alerts in place. The ministry added that the United States was monitoring the situation closely.
Anxieties have risen in Poland, neighboring Lithuania, and Russia over the presence of mercenaries from the Kremlin-linked Wagner group in Belarus. The mercenaries fought alongside pro-Russia separatists in the 2014 mutiny that toppled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. The Wagner group is credited with spearheading the Russian troops’ takeover of Crimea from Ukraine and has carried out several raids against Ukraine’s southern border areas.
In a speech to parliament on Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo warned of “severe consequences” for Belarus in the event of a new uprising in Ukraine. She urged the international community to help Kyiv “shut down the bases of Russian aggression” in the country’s east and south.
The heightened tensions erupted after Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko taunted Poland over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries in his country. The mercenaries have been stationed in Belarus since a short-lived mutiny by their Russian commanders last month. Lukashenko recently joked that the fighters were eager to visit Poland. That raised fears in Warsaw of a possible military conflict with Belarus, which its Western allies have criticized for pursuing an increasingly authoritarian policy. Belarus’ national army is reportedly training the Wagner fighters. Lukashenko has denied that they are part of a Russian military expedition to Ukraine.
