Belarus says Polish helicopter violated its airspace, demands explanation from Warsaw

Belarus’s State Border Committee said Friday that a Polish Mi-24 attack helicopter violated the country’s airspace by flying into its Hrodna Region.

According to the Belarusian authorities, the helicopter crossed the border at an extremely low altitude before returning to Poland. The State Border Committee published a video of the incident on Telegram.

The footage shows the helicopter returning to Poland. The monitoring group Belaruski Hajun noted that the aircraft is about 260 meters (850 feet) from the border in the clip’s first frame.

The Belarusian Interior Ministry summoned Poland’s temporary Charge d'Affaires in the country, Wojciech Filimonovich in response to the incursion. “We have demanded that the Polish side provide an explanation and conduct a thorough investigation of the incident,” read a statement from the ministry.

On August 1, Warsaw reported that two Belarusian helicopters had violated Poland’s airspace. The Belarusian Defense Ministry denied the allegation, and the Interior Ministry called on Poland “not to escalate the situation or use it to militarize the border area.” This incident, combined with the deployment of Wagner Group mercenaries to Belarus and an influx of migrants that European leaders have accused the Belarusian government of sending to the Polish border, Poland has increased border security.