Fox News reported that Poland rushed troops to its eastern border earlier this week following an incursion by military aircraft.
The incident occurred on Tuesday and involved two military helicopters from Belarus, a neighboring country which is closely allied with Russia.
Although Polish residents along the border spotted the aircraft and posted photos of them to social media, Poland's government initially denied that any incursion had taken place.
However, the Ministry of Defense later released a statement acknowledging that "there was a violation of Polish airspace by two Belarusian helicopters that were carrying out training near the border."
The Polish Government has confirmed the penetration of their airspace by two Belorussian military helicopters during training exercises. The Polish Minister of Defense has ordered additional forces to the border in response.https://t.co/S4DLKFRylv
— Patrick Fox (@RealCynicalFox) August 1, 2023
The statement went on to explain that Belarus had informed the Polish government of the exercises. It added that the helicopters were flying at low altitude and escaped radar detection.
Meanwhile, Poland's Foreign Ministry put out a statement of its own explaining that Belarus's chargé d’affaires was "immediately summoned."
It stressed that Poland had "issued a firm protest and called on the Belarusian side to immediately and in detail explain the incident."
"The Polish side emphasized that the incident is perceived as another element of the escalation of tension on the Polish-Belarusian border. Poland expects Belarus to refrain from such activities," the ministry went on to insist.
The incident came days after Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki accused the Russian mercenary company Wagner Group of engaging in "hybrid warfare" by facilitating the flow of illegal immigrants.
Wagner could help migrants cross into Poland, PM Morawiecki warns https://t.co/J9xV6Mtsg8
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) July 29, 2023
Fox News reported that Morawiecki spoke at a press conference of how roughly 100 Wagner Group mercenaries are believed to have moved near the Suwalki Gap.
The area is considered to be of high strategic value since it straddles the area along Poland's border between Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad as well as Lithuania.
Morawiecki went on to suggest that the Wagner Group mercenaries may pose as Belarusian border guards in order to avoid detection.
