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Belarusian Smuggling Balloons Detected, Poland Temporarily Closes Airspace
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Poland’s military said it temporarily restricted civil air traffic over part of the Podlaskie region after detecting objects entering Polish airspace from the direction of Belarus, according to Poland’s Operational Command of the Armed Forces on January 29.
The Operational Command said the incursion occurred overnight on January 28 and that the flight of the objects was continuously tracked by Polish military radar systems.
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The agency added that an assessment of the objects’ flight characteristics, speed, and direction indicated they were most likely balloon-like objects moving in line with weather conditions, and that “no threat to the security of the airspace of the Republic of Poland was identified.”
Poland’s Border Guard said it was fully monitoring the border-area situation and that the first objects found were smuggling balloons, adding: “The first identified objects are smuggling balloons. Activities are underway to establish the circumstances of the incident.”
The command said the airspace limits were introduced as a precaution and in line with procedures, while noting that such incidents fit what it described as a broader pattern of hybrid actions faced in Poland’s eastern direction.
Polish media later said the restrictions were lifted after the situation was assessed and the objects were no longer considered a risk to civil aviation.
The episode follows a series of balloon-related airspace disruptions along the Belarus border in recent months, including repeated temporary shutdowns at Vilnius Airport in neighboring Lithuania, where authorities have said balloons are used by smugglers from Belarus.
Earlier, it was reported that Polish air defense radars tracked unidentified aerial objects entering from Belarus that were later assessed as likely smuggling or weather balloons drifting with winds, prompting temporary airspace restrictions over the Podlaskie region and follow‑up recovery operations.
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