On August 1, images and videos confirmed that a Belarusian Mi-8 transport helicopter and Mi-24 combat helicopter had flown over Polish airspace. Since the incident, helicopters and Polish troops have been deployed in the area.
Confirmation in pictures
On August 1, when they appeared to be on exercise, two Belarusian military helicopters entered Polish airspace east of Hajnówka (Podlachia, Poland). The two helicopters in question were;
- a Mi-8 medium transport helicopter (probably in Mi-8MTV-5 version) (86 White)
- a Mi-24P Hind combat helicopter (14 White)
The nationality of the helicopters is easily identifiable; the flag of Belarus is clearly visible on the fuselage of both helicopters. The latter would have returned up to about 3 kilometers within Polish national territory before returning to Belarus, all in a low-altitude flight. The Poles would not have detected the intrusion, the helicopters flying too low for the radars. It should be noted that in the event of an alert, combat aircraft in flight or on alert on the ground would never have had time to intercept the two intruders, their intrusion having been of short duration.
Belarus denies the incident (Reuters) but the images and videos of the two helicopters clearly show that there was a border incident.
