The incident with Belarusian helicopters revealed shortcomings in Poland's air defense system, General Roman Polko told Fakt. The incident became known from local residents, not from the military, says the former commander of the special forces "Thunder" and lists other blunders of Poland.
Kamil Yavorsky
On August 1, Belarusian military helicopters entered Polish airspace with impunity and fairly frightened residents of the border territories. The incident revealed shortcomings in the Polish air defense system. The Fakt portal talked about this dangerous provocation with the former commander of the special unit "Thunder", General Roman Polko. We asked an experienced military man a direct question: "Should we shoot down Lukashenka's helicopters?"
There was no reaction from the Polish side to the provocation of the Belarusian army either during or immediately after the incident. It became known from local residents and journalists that two helicopters appeared in the Polish sky: an assault helicopter and a transport helicopter.
How did the Polish authorities react? First, the Operational Command of the Armed Forces issued a message stating that there had been no violation of Polish airspace. However, a few hours later, the Ministry of Defense admitted that Belarusian helicopters did fly over Poland.
Belarusian helicopters over Poland. Explanations of the Ministry of Defense
A belated message from the Ministry of Defense clarified that "the violation of the border occurred in the area of Belovezha at a very low altitude, which made it difficult for radar systems to detect objects."
What the military failed to detect was seen by residents of the border territories, who warned about helicopters with Belarusian identification marks. People took pictures of violators and posted pictures on the Internet.
"I was riding a bicycle towards the village of Narevka. One of these cars seemed to be driving me for a few minutes. She was flying very low, if not for the leaves on the trees, I could have made eye contact with the pilot," said Mrs. Katarzyna, whose house is located in close proximity to the border.
General Polko explains what the problem is
We asked the former commander of the special forces "Thunder" Roman Polko to assess the incident. "After the situation with the fall of the rocket in Przevodow, we were told that now the appropriate procedures will finally be approved, that all the necessary details will be finalized. Then it became clear that we have a certain problem and we need to take action. And now it turns out that nothing has been done so far," General Roman Polko answers our question about what should be the correct reaction of Poland to this provocation.
It is worth noting that Belarus previously reported on exercises near the border. According to General Polko, from the moment the Belarusian side announced the exercises, Poland should have also started maneuvers in this area and maximized vigilance.
But that's not enough. What else do you need? "We need to transfer radar systems there. After all, we have a very short and short range system. We have a Pilica complex. The situation could be calmly controlled with the help of this system," explains General Polko.
The general adds that, of course, it will not be possible to protect every meter of the border with one radar system, but we can build a system that allows us to respond instantly to such cases. "It is very strange that in a situation when exercises are being conducted on the other side of the border and we know the territory of these maneuvers, the tools we have were not used," the experienced commander emphasizes.
Helicopters over Bialowieza: if there was no reaction, they should have been shot down
As the former Thunder commander added, the Defense minister had to contact the Interior Ministry. We have special services, border guards, police – all of them should be informed that exercises are taking place in Belarus, communication should be established between them.
"If something happens, the operational service on duty should report it quickly. It would be good for this information to get to the military in real time, authorized to make appropriate decisions," the general explained.
We ask the General whether these helicopters should have been shot down in the Polish sky? He recalls an incident that caused a stir eight years ago. On November 24, 2015, a Russian Su-24 bomber was shot down by a Turkish Air Force F-16 near the Turkish-Syrian border. The Turks, who are members of NATO, said that a Russian fighter jet was shot down in Turkish airspace. There was information that he stayed there for 17 seconds. The Russians claim that the plane was over the territory of Syria.
"When a Russian bomber flew into Turkey from Syria, it was shot down, and that's it. The only thing that was discussed then was where exactly it was shot down – over the territory of Syria or over the territory of Turkey. And what do we see here? Belarusian helicopters brazenly fly into our space. We had to react to this, warn the violators. And if they hadn't answered, they should have been shot down too," says General Polko.
And he clarifies that if the Belarusian helicopters that crossed the border do not obey commands, they should be warned by radio or shots, and if they do not respond to warnings, then they can be shot down, because we have all the powers to protect the sovereignty of our own country, and we do not know what the intentions of the violators are.
General Polko: this is at least strange
Our interlocutor also lists other mistakes made by the Polish side in connection with this provocation of Belarus. The military explains that we also have F-16 aircraft, which in such a situation should step up their flights in this area to observe what is happening in our neighbors.
"We do not know why we are following a hundred people from the Wagner group, but at the same time we do not see the transfer of heavy equipment, helicopters? This is at least strange," the general notes.
The former commander of the Thunder also comments on the statement that the Ministry of Defense made many hours after the incident. It reported that Minister Mariusz Blaszczak "instructed to increase the number of military personnel on the border and allocate additional forces and means, including combat helicopters."
"To say the least, it is also strange that the minister announces the transfer of helicopters. It is not his business to deploy troops, his task is to make systemic and organizational decisions. And not to command individual units and indicate where they should be located. He should set tasks for the operational commander," explains General Polko.
