Poland denies violating Belarusian airspace

Poland on Sept. 1 refuted the claims of Belarus's border guards that a Polish military helicopter crossed into Belarusian airspace.  

Polish armed forces speaker Jacek Goryshevsky said an investigation of pilot reports and radio tracking data shows no such violation.  He called it a "lie and provocation."    

The Belarusian border committee claimed that a low-flying Polish Mi-24 went past the national border to a depth of 1,200 meters.

The committee posted a 16-second video shot from above, showing a helicopter flying over what looks like a cleared border running through a forest.  

Belarusian officials said they summoned the Polish representative and demanded an explanation from Warsaw.  

Belarus's claims are vehicles to extend the reign of Belarusian dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski said in a statement.

A month ago, the Polish Defense Ministry said that two Belarusian helicopters violated the country's airspace during exercises near the border, which has been denied by Minsk.

The tensions at Belarus' borders with Poland and the Baltic countries have been mounting since 2021, when Minsk engineered a migrant crisis.

Belarus claims Polish helicopter violated its airspace

The State Border Committee of Belarus claimed that a Polish helicopter violated Belarusian airspace on Sept. 1. Warsaw hasn’t confirmed the incident.

The Kyiv IndependentDinara Khalilova