Polish army reports increased small drone activity near Belarus border

WARSAW, Jan 22 (Reuters) - ⁠Poland said ⁠on ‍Thursday it had detected heightened activity of small drones near its border with Belarus ‍on Wednesday evening, in a further sign of ​tensions after an airspace violation involving suspected smuggling balloons ​last week.

The violation saw the summoning of the Belarusian envoy in Warsaw on Wednesday.

Relations between Minsk and Warsaw have sunk to ​new lows since Belarus's ally Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with disputes over illegal migration ​and smuggling raising tensions created by the war even further.

"On Wednesday, ‌January 21, 2026, in the evening hours, increased activity of small-sized unmanned aerial vehicles operating ​over the Polish-Belarusian border was ⁠observed," the Polish military's operational command wrote on X.

It said that no threat ‌to the safety of Polish airspace was detected.

"At the same time, it should be emphasized that this type ‌of incident fits into hybrid actions undertaken by the Belarusian ‌side, aimed at destabilizing the security situation and testing (Poland's) airspace defense system."

In Lithuania, smuggling balloons drifting over the Belarusian border ‍have forced repeated shutdowns at the airport in the capital Vilnius, in what ⁠authorities call a "hybrid attack" by Belarus, a Kremlin ally. In December Lithuania declared a state of emergency due to the incursions.

(Reporting by Karol Badohal; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Alexandra Hudson)

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