Poland Rushes Troops to Border, Claims Belarusian Helicopters Violated Airspace

Poland on Tuesday said it was rushing more troops to its border with Belarus after accusing Minsk of violating its airspace with military helicopters, a claim Belarusian officials denied.

According to Reuters, Poland’s Defense Ministry said it was sending “additional forces and resources, including combat helicopters” to the border. Belarus has accused Poland of making up allegations about helicopters violating its airspace to justify a further buildup on the border.

“This statement was not backed up by data from Poland,” The Belarusian Defense Ministry said. “The Belarusian Defense Ministry views it in the manner of an ‘old wives’ tale’ and notes there were no border violations by Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters,” the ministry added.