Poland closes airspace after balloon incursions from Belarus
Photo: Poland closes airspace after balloons fly in from Belarus (Getty Images)
During the night of January 30–31, the Polish military detected objects entering the country's airspace from Belarus. For security reasons, civil aviation flights were temporarily restricted over the Podlaskie region, according to Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command.
According to the Polish military, objects were observed flying in from Belarus and were likely airborne balloons.
"The flight of the objects was continuously monitored by military radar systems. To ensure safety, temporary restrictions on the use of part of the airspace over the Podlaskie Voivodeship were introduced for civil aviation," the command said.
No threat to Poland's security was identified.
The military emphasized that the incident was another in a series of hybrid incidents observed in eastern Poland. The armed forces remain in constant contact with relevant services and continue to monitor the situation.
Similar incidents have occurred before. In recent months, the Polish Armed Forces have reported increased activity by small drones and balloons from Belarus, often used to transport smuggled goods.
Earlier, Polish authorities discovered the remains of two balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes, believed to have arrived from Belarus.
The objects were found on the night of January 17 near the cities of Białystok and Sokółka in the Podlaskie region, according to local police.
In addition, a total of 59 weather balloons carrying smuggled goods have reached Poland. Most of these cases were recorded in the Podlaskie and Lublin regions, which border Belarus.
During inspections, Polish border guards and police found 13 balloons loaded with cigarettes and five separate packages, each containing about 1,500 packs of tobacco. Law enforcement said all the weather balloons were equipped with GPS trackers to monitor their movement.
