Poland has summoned Belarus’s charge d’affaires after dozens of meteorological balloons carrying untaxed cigarettes crossed into Polish airspace from Belarus, in what authorities described as mass smuggling attempts. The Polish Foreign Ministry said border guards and police recovered balloon debris and cigarette shipments—some carrying up to 1,500 packs—in several eastern regions, including near the Belarus border and in Białystok. Warsaw warned Minsk that it does not consent to such actions and said further incidents would have consequences, while questioning Belarus’s claim of having no knowledge of the operations. Polish media reported around 150 such balloon incidents to date.
