Belarus claims Polish helicopter crosses border twice, Poland denies accusations
Illustrative photo (Photo: Getty Images)
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense claims that "a Polish helicopter twice violated Belarusian airspace." Poland has denied this statement, according to RMF24.
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense claims today, September 28, that "a Polish helicopter violated Belarusian airspace."
"Approximately at 15:20 (local time), the aircraft crossed the border of the Republic of Belarus... At 16:22, the helicopter again violated the state border, flying at a depth of 300 meters," Belarusian Ministry of Defense reported.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus states that it is preparing a note of protest to Poland.
Poland's reaction
The Operational Command of the Armed Forces of Poland issued a special statement regarding this incident.
"We inform that today's statement by the Belarusian side about an alleged crossing of the border by a Polish helicopter does not correspond to reality," the statement reads.
According to Polish military sources, this is confirmed by records from dispatch and radar stations.
"All information provided by the media should always be approached with caution and prudence when it comes to the Belarusian regime, as it has often been an element of provocation and misinformation," Poland added.
Tensions Between Poland and Belarus
On September 1, Belarus claimed that a Polish military helicopter Mi-24 had violated Belarusian airspace. Minsk alleged that the helicopter had supposedly flown up to 1200 meters deep into Belarusian territory and then turned back.
Poland, on its part, denied the accusations. Polish military officials asserted that it was a provocation by the Belarusian side.
At the same time, the monitoring group Belarusian Hajun does not rule out the possibility that it could have been a Polish helicopter. However, there are also speculations that a Belarusian helicopter crossed the border.
