Balloons from Belarus cross into Polish airspace for third night

Warsaw: Balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from Belarus have been reported crossing into Polish airspace for a third night in a row.

Polish authorities on Monday said the “hybrid incidents” were part of the threat to the country’s eastern border posed by Russia’s ally Belarus.

“The Belarusian side made another attempt at reconnaissance and checking the reaction of the Polish air defence systems,” the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces wrote in a report on X into the the incidents from January 31 to February 1.

Armed forces spokesman Jacek Goryszewski said there were more balloon incidents in the first weeks of 2026 compared to the beginning of 2025. He said the

increased frequency could be caused by a political decision in Minsk or by smugglers adapting to stronger border defences by Poland.

Poland’s military said the recent incidents posed “no threat to the security of the Polish airspace”. However, temporary restrictions for civil aviation were imposed on part of the airspace over the Podlaskie region bordering Belarus.

The Belarusian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment.