The Polish foreign ministry said in a statement that the Polish embassy in Minsk on Friday provided the Belarusian government "with detailed information that irrefutably confirms the fact that on 1 August 2023 two Belarusian military helicopters violated Polish airspace."
"The presented data contradict the position of the Republic of Belarus as expressed in the official statements from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence," the statement said.
"We call on the Belarusian side to urgently look into the incident, review its position on this matter, and cease all provocations at the Polish-Belarusian border," the Polish foreign ministry added.
Poland, Lithuania discuss plans for complete closure of border with Belarus
Meanwhile, the Polish and Lithuanian interior ministers on Friday discussed plans for a possible closure of all border crossings with Belarus in response to "emerging threats" from that country and potential "future provocations at the border," according to a statement by the Polish government.
Poland this week decided to move additional troops and combat helicopters to the Belarusian border, following an incident in which two Belarusian helicopters crossed into Polish airspace during an air exercise in the area, according to officials.
Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said on Thursday that Poland was prepared and ready to ensure the security of NATO's eastern flank in response to the deployment of Russian mercenary troops in Belarus.
Earlier on Thursday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda met in the northeastern Polish city of Suwałki, near Russia’s westernmost region of Kaliningrad, to discuss border security amid Russia's war in Ukraine and the movement of Russian mercenaries in Belarus.
The Polish prime minister told reporters on Thursday that Russia and Belarus were "stepping up their numerous provocations in order to destabilise the border of NATO's eastern flank."
The Polish prime minister said at the end of last month that Poland was guarding its border with Belarus "with full determination" against a threat from Wagner Group mercenaries stationed there.
Morawiecki said at the time that more than 100 Wagner fighters had moved to the Suwałki Corridor area on the Polish-Lithuanian border, which separates the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea from Belarus.
Up to 5,000 Wagner fighters stationed in Belarus: official
Polish Deputy Interior Minister Błażej Poboży told public broadcaster Polish Radio on Friday that the latest estimates put the number of Wagner Group fighters stationed in Belarus at around 5,000.
Błażej Poboży. Photo: Polish Radio
'The threat is very real,' Polish deputy FM tells CNN
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński said in an interview with US broadcaster CNN on Friday that "the threat is very real" from Belarus, arguing that Wagner Group soldiers have made attempts to infiltrate Polish territory.
Jabłoński told CNN that the Polish government was weighing whether to close the border with Belarus, a close Russian ally.
Paweł Jabłoński. Photo: P. Chmielewski/Polskie Radio
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Saturday is day 528 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP, gov.pl, cnn.com/CNN