{"id":173725,"date":"2026-01-31T12:45:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T09:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/173725\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"poland-reports-new-airspace-violations-from-belarus-2","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/173725\/","title":{"rendered":"Poland reports second airspace violation incident from Belarus this week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Bradley Singleton \/ unsplash.com)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

January 31, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Unidentified objects from Belarus violated Polish airspace overnight, marking the second similar incident this week, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command reports.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An analysis of the flight parameters allowed the military to identify the objects as weather balloons, frequently used by cigarette smugglers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polish authorities temporarily restricted civil aviation flights in the Podlaskie voivodeship in the eastern part of the country for safety reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some 150 balloons violated Polish airspace early on January 17. Poland\u2019s foreign ministry summoned Belarus\u2019 charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires to demand explanations. The most recent similar incident was reported two days ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, 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

Balloon incursions have previously caused tensions between Belarus and Lithuania. In late 2025, 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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