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POZIRK+Poland, Lithuania seize Belarus-linked contraband cigarettes
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Poland demands explanation from Belarus over smuggling balloon flights
January 22, Pozirk. Poland’s foreign ministry has summoned Belarus’ chargé d’affaires to demand explanations over the incursion of around 150 balloons into Polish airspace early on January 17, Wiadomości reported.
“The Belarusian side has received a very clear signal that we do not approve of such actions,” Wiadomości quoted Maciej Wewiór, spokesperson for the Polish foreign ministry, as saying.
According to an unnamed source cited by Wiadomości, each balloon was carrying smuggled cigarettes and was equipped with tracking devices, suggesting they were launched by professional operators. Sources close to the military and police said the balloons may also have been used to test Polish air defenses — specifically, to determine at what altitude and range Polish systems detect small airborne objects and how effectively transmitters can be jammed.
Poland’s National Security Bureau (BBN) said on January 17 that several dozen objects originating from Belarus had violated Polish airspace overnight. The bureau noted that its head, Sławomir Cenckiewicz, provided regular updates to President Karol Nawrocki on the course of events and their consequences.
The BBN said it could not rule out that the incursions were a provocation disguised as smuggling. It recalled a similar incident on December 25, when 59 objects crossed into Polish airspace from Belarus. Security services urged the public to avoid any objects or debris linked to the incident and to immediately notify authorities if such items are found.
The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces informed police about unidentified flying objects — most likely cigarette-smuggling balloons — entering Polish airspace from Belarus. Police later seized balloon debris along with cigarettes lacking Polish excise stamps in Białystok and the Sokółka district.
Last year, Polish border guards detected 185 cigarette-smuggling weather balloons arriving from Belarus, carrying goods worth an estimated $1.2 million.
Similar balloon incursions have previously caused tensions between Belarus and Lithuania. In late 2024, Vilnius declared an “extreme situation,” a low-level emergency, in response to what it described as a “hybrid attack from Belarus.”
Poland reports numerous airspace violations from Belarus
January 17, Pozirk. Several dozen objects from Belarus violated Polish airspace overnight, the Polish National Security Bureau said, noting that its chief, Sławomir Cenckiewicz, has provided regular updates to Polish President Karol Nawrocki on the course and consequences of the …
