{"id":172667,"date":"2026-01-22T16:17:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T13:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/172667\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"poland-demands-explanation-from-belarus-over-smuggling-balloon-flights","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/172667\/","title":{"rendered":"Poland demands explanation from Belarus over smuggling balloon flights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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January 22, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Poland\u2019s foreign ministry has summoned Belarus\u2019 charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires to demand explanations over the incursion of around 150 balloons into Polish airspace early on January 17, Wiadomo\u015bci<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Belarusian side has received a very clear signal that we do not approve of such actions,\u201d Wiadomo\u015bci<\/em> quoted Maciej Wewi\u00f3r, spokesperson for the Polish foreign ministry, as saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an unnamed source cited by Wiadomo\u015bci<\/em>, each balloon was carrying smuggled cigarettes and was equipped with tracking devices, suggesting they were launched by professional operators. Sources close to the military and police said the balloons may also have been used to test Polish air defenses \u2014 specifically, to determine at what altitude and range Polish systems detect small airborne objects and how effectively transmitters can be jammed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poland\u2019s National Security Bureau (BBN) said on January 17 that several dozen objects originating from Belarus had violated Polish airspace overnight. The bureau noted that its head, S\u0142awomir Cenckiewicz, provided regular updates to President Karol Nawrocki on the course of events and their consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BBN said it could not rule out that the incursions were a provocation disguised as smuggling. It recalled a similar incident on December 25, when 59 objects crossed into Polish airspace from Belarus. Security services urged the public to avoid any objects or debris linked to the incident and to immediately notify authorities if such items are found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces informed police about unidentified flying objects \u2014 most likely cigarette-smuggling balloons \u2014 entering Polish airspace from Belarus. Police later seized balloon debris along with cigarettes lacking Polish excise stamps in Bia\u0142ystok and the Sok\u00f3\u0142ka district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Polish border guards detected 185 cigarette-smuggling weather balloons arriving from Belarus, carrying goods worth an estimated $1.2 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similar balloon incursions have previously caused tensions between Belarus and Lithuania. In late 2024, Vilnius declared an \u201cextreme situation,\u201d a low-level emergency, in response to what it described as a \u201chybrid attack from Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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