On Thursday, December 25, Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian reconnaissance plane that was flying close to Polish airspace over the Baltic Sea. Poland also reported that during the night on Wednesday, dozens of objects entered Polish airspace from Belarus, indicating potential provocations during the holiday season.
According to a report by Reuters, the Polish military announced on Thursday that in the morning over the international waters of the Baltic Sea, Polish fighter jets intercepted, visually identified, and escorted away a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying near the border of Polish airspace.
The Polish National Security Bureau stated that dozens of objects entered Polish airspace from the Belarusian side during the night, with four of the objects discovered so far believed to be suspected smuggled balloons.
“The scale of this violation of Polish airspace, combined with the occurrence during a special holiday period, considering the activity of Russian aircraft in the Baltic Sea, and similar recent incidents in Lithuania, all suggest that this is a provocation disguised as a smuggling operation,” said the National Security Bureau.
Belarus is a close ally of Russia. Smuggled balloons from Belarus have repeatedly disrupted the airspace of Lithuania, leading to the closure of multiple airports in Lithuania.
Lithuania has claimed that these balloons are released by smugglers trafficking cigarettes and are part of a “hybrid attack” initiated by Belarus. Belarus denies responsibility for the incidents.
The Polish military announced the temporary closure of part of the airspace in Podlaskie, the northeastern region bordering Belarus, to civilian flights to ensure safety.
NATO eastern member states have remained highly vigilant against potential airspace violations by Russia. From September 9 to September 10, more than 20 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles entered Polish airspace. At that time, Polish authorities, with assistance from Dutch and NATO multinational forces in Italy, Germany, and elsewhere, successfully repelled this “aggressive behavior.”
On September 19, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without permission and stayed there for a total of 12 minutes.