"On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, during night hours, there was an entry into the Polish airspace of objects arriving from the direction of Belarus", reported the Operations Command of the Types of Armed Forces. As a result, temporary restrictions on the usage of parts of airspace over the Podlaskie Voivodeship for civilian traffic were introduced.
Illustration picture. Patrol on the Polish-Belarusian border.
As DORSZ assures, the flight of all facilities has been "continuously monitored" by military radiolocation systems. "These measures were preventive and in line with the procedures in force", stressed the authoritative Communication.
What precisely flew into Poland? Taking into account the flight characteristics, the velocity and direction of movement of the objects, it was assessed that they were most likely balloons, moving according to meteorological conditions. “No threat to the safety of the airspace of the Republic of Poland was identified”, was ensured in the DORSZ Communication. “The command remains in constant contact with the competent services and institutions, conducting the current exchange of information and providing the essential data on the observed facilities”, we read. They are presently being searched for.
At the moment, there is no clarity as to what the balloons were actually observed. It's possible they were moving contraband. However, "this kind of incidental fits into the catalogue of hybrid activities that Poland is dealing with in the east direction", stressed DORSZ. "The situation is monitored on an ongoing basis and the forces and resources of the Polish Armed Forces stay ready to carry out tasks related to the protection of Polish airspace", added the Communication.
The most serious violations of the Polish airspace so far occurred on the night of 9-10 September 2025. Then over 20 Russian unmanned workers invaded east Poland, coming from Belarus. Polish and allied NATO fighters captured and shot down respective drones, and in many places their remains were found on the ground. Prime Minister Donald Tusk and another representatives of the authorities stressed that this was not an accidental “course error” linked to the ongoing attack on Ukraine, but a conscious hybrid provocation and threat to Poland and all NATO. The incidental prompted Warsaw to launch defence procedures, temporary closure of respective airports and to submit allied consultations in accordance with Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
