{"id":173769,"date":"2026-01-31T21:40:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T18:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/173769\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"two-belarusians-to-stand-trial-in-poland-over-air-smuggling-charges","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/173769\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Belarusians to stand trial in Poland over air smuggling charges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"block-image block-image-normal\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kontrabanda_zaderzhanie_polsha_pogranohrana_1128x752.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kontrabanda_zaderzhanie_polsha_pogranohrana_1128x752.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kontrabanda_zaderzhanie_polsha_pogranohrana_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kontrabanda_zaderzhanie_polsha_pogranohrana_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kontrabanda_zaderzhanie_polsha_pogranohrana_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kontrabanda_zaderzhanie_polsha_pogranohrana_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/>\n  <figcaption>\n  \n       <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                <span>Polish Border Guard \/ edited by Pozirk<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n     <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>January 31, <em>Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong>A Polish judge ordered the three-month detention of two Belarusian nationals, aged 37 and 39, for smuggling cigarettes using weather balloons, the Polish Border Guard reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both men face charges under the Fiscal Criminal Code and the Special Measures to Counteract Support for Aggression against Ukraine and to Protect National Security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They will have to stand trial and may face up to three years in prison if convicted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past week, Poland has reported violations of its airspace from the Belarusian direction on at least two occasions. Both incidents involved weather balloons that smugglers use to transport cigarettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/radar_ekran_bradley_singleton_unsplash_1128x752-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/radar_ekran_bradley_singleton_unsplash_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/radar_ekran_bradley_singleton_unsplash_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/radar_ekran_bradley_singleton_unsplash_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/radar_ekran_bradley_singleton_unsplash_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/radar_ekran_bradley_singleton_unsplash_1128x752.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Politics<\/label>\n\n                            <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Security<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Politics, Security<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Poland reports second airspace violation incident from Belarus this week<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">January 31, Pozirk. 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 An analysis of the flight parameters allowed the military to identify the objects as weather &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/173725\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read the article<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/polska-mapa-pixabay-1128-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/polska-mapa-pixabay-1128-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/polska-mapa-pixabay-1128-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/polska-mapa-pixabay-1128-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/polska-mapa-pixabay-1128-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/polska-mapa-pixabay-1128.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Politics<\/label>\n\n                            <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Security<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Politics, Security<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Poland demands explanation from Belarus over smuggling balloon flights<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">January 22, Pozirk. 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 reported. \u201cThe Belarusian side has received a very clear signal that &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/172667\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read the article<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>January 31, Pozirk.A Polish judge ordered the three-month detention of two Belarusian nationals, aged 37 and 39, for smuggling cigarettes using weather balloons, the Polish Border Guard reports. Both men face charges under the Fiscal Criminal Code and the Special Measures to Counteract Support for Aggression against Ukraine and to Protect National Security. They will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":173759,"template":"","rubric":[13],"class_list":["post-173769","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-society"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Two Belarusians to stand trial in Poland over air smuggling charges | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"January 31, Pozirk.A Polish judge ordered the three-month detention of two Belarusian nationals, aged 37 and 39, for smuggling cigarettes using weather\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/173769\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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