Belarus claims Polish helicopter violated airspace, Warsaw denies | Russia-Ukraine War

Belarus has repeatedly accused the EU member of violating its airspace. Warsaw denies these allegations.

Belarus has claimed that a Polish helicopter had violated its airspace as tensions run high between the two countries in the context of the conflict in Ukraine.

“Around 3:20 p.m. (12:20 GMT), the plane crossed the border of the Republic of Belarus and flew to a depth of 1.5 km. At 4:22 p.m., the helicopter repeatedly violated the state border, traveling 300 meters deep,” the Ministry of Defense of Belarus said on its Telegram channel on Thursday.

Belarus, Russia’s closest ally, said it had dispatched military aircraft in response.

The Polish military said the Belarusian claims were “false”.

“Recordings made by flight control stations and radar stations confirm that such an event did not take place,” the army operational command said in a statement.

“The Polish army respects and follows all provisions and regulations relating to the inviolability of borders.”

Belarus has repeatedly accused the EU member of violating its airspace. Warsaw has denied the allegations.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the Polish charge d’affaires, Marcin Wojciechowski, to protest.

According to the ministry, Minsk asked Warsaw to conduct “an objective investigation into the incident” and take measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

Last week, the Kremlin said Moscow and its ally Belarus were “watching” Poland closely, calling it a “rather aggressive” country.