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Poland’s Minister of the Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwiński does not believe that the increasing number of weather balloons carrying contraband from Belarus are intended to test air defence systems. At the same time, he views them as a hybrid attack, as they create additional pressure on border guards and the police. The minister also promised measures aimed at deterring smugglers.
“No, this is not a test of our systems, because, you know, it is difficult to test the defence systems of any country when it comes to balloons that often move in unpredictable directions, with the wind and, as is obvious, very, very slowly,” he said on RMF FM, stressing that Lithuania’s problems were more serious primarily because of the proximity of its airport to the border.
Kierwiński believes that the primary issue is smuggling, but at the same time he acknowledged that “in Belarus such smugglers are often in close contact with representatives of the Belarusian authorities.”
“This cannot be ignored for one reason: any such object violating our airspace must be tracked by the military on radar, must be located and must be properly seized. Because when something falls from the sky, the police and border guards have to respond every single time,” the minister said.
“I see this as hybrid attacks, because they have a purpose. They are meant to make life more difficult for Polish services. There is no doubt about that. This is another stage in the process of pressure on Polish services by the Belarusian services. I have no doubt about that. However, behind this practice there is, of course, a desire for illegal smuggling,” he added.
According to Kierwiński, there are no grounds for introducing extraordinary measures, but Poland will not remain passive.
“But to be clear, we are not remaining passive on these issues, just as on any other issues concerning violations of our border. A meeting has taken place with the embassy, with the Belarusian representative. There are also contacts between the border services. Therefore, the Belarusian side should certainly expect that we will also take various measures to deter such actions,” the minister said.
He confirmed that border guards had detained eight people involved in aerial smuggling, and that a total of 16 such detentions have taken place since the beginning of the year.
Kierwiński was also asked about attempts by migrants to cross the Polish border. According to him, there have been no such attempts recently, which he attributed to winter conditions and severe frosts.
“We are closely monitoring the situation, and the border service is ready to counter this pressure,” he said in response to a question about how migration dynamics at the border may develop.