The Polish Armed Forces have relocated combat helicopters from the 1st Brigade of Land Forces Aviation and the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade near the border with Belarus. General Marek Sokołowski, the Inspector of Training at the General Command of the Armed Forces, stated that they will be stationed "in immediate response mode", in accordance with the order of Poland's Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak. He mentioned that there are experienced pilots, some of whom have served with him in Afghanistan and Iraq, who will not hesitate to use weapons if any alarming situation occurs.
Previously, BÅ‚aszczak instructed to increase the number of soldiers on the border and allocate additional resources, including helicopters.
"The helicopters are armed and ready for combat. We have highly experienced pilots with full flying licenses, including those who served with me in Afghanistan and Iraq and have used onboard weapons and missiles. They are experienced. If something alarming happens, they will not hesitate to use weapons," Sokolovsky said during a briefing in the city of Białystok.
- The decision to strengthen Poland's border with Belarus was made after Warsaw claimed that on August 1, two Belarusian helicopters violated Polish airspace in the area of BiaÅ‚owieża. Warsaw reported the incident to NATO and summoned the temporary chargé d'affaires of Belarus for an explanation.
- The Belarusian Ministry of Defense denied all allegations and called Poland's accusations "fabricated." The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also summoned the temporary chargé d'affaires of Poland and urged Warsaw "not to escalate the situation and not to use it for militarizing the border area."
