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Belarus claims Polish helicopter violated its airspace, Poland denies

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Belarus claims Polish helicopter violated its airspace, Poland denies
Military Mi-8 helicopter flies during the parade Strong White and Red (colors of the Polish national flag) to celebrate Polish Army Day on Wislostrada Street in the center of Warsaw, the capital of Poland, on Aug. 15, 2023. Illustration purposes only. (Photo credit: Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Belarusian Defense Ministry claimed that a Polish helicopter entered its airspace on Sept. 28, which Warsaw denies.

"At around 15:20, the aircraft crossed the border of the Republic of Belarus, flying into a depth of up to one and a half kilometers," the ministry's press service said.

"At 16:22, the helicopter violated the state border again, flying 300 meters deep."

Belarus said that it had scrambled its military aircraft in response.

"Today's statement by the Belarusian side about the alleged crossing of the border by a Polish helicopter is false," the Operational Command of the Armed Forces of Poland said in response.

"The Polish military, contrary to the constant provocations by the Republic of Belarus, respects and complies with all provisions and regulations regarding the inviolability of borders."

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The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Polish charge d'affaires in the country, Martin Wojciechowski, in protest to the alleged incident.

Tensions between NATO member Poland and the Kremlin's ally Belarus have surged following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The situation escalated further after thousands of Wagner Group mercenaries relocated to Belarus following their short-lived rebellion against Moscow, leading Warsaw to reinforce its military presence at the border.

Poland accused Belarus of violating its airspace with a helicopter on Aug. 1, and Minsk leveled the same accusations against Warsaw on Sept. 1

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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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