Poland’s Operational Command of the Armed Forces (DORSZ) confirmed on the afternoon of 22 January 2026 that radar units had tracked an unusual cluster of small, unmanned aerial vehicles operating just inside Belarus and intermittently crossing Poland’s air-space near Kuźnica and Bobrowniki.
Although no munitions were dropped and no airspace infringement lasted more than a few seconds, the flights triggered the first use this winter of ‘yellow-alpha’ alert procedures. Border Guard patrols were reinforced overnight with military police and thermal-imaging teams; west-bound freight convoys were briefly routed through a secondary control lane and all buses entering from Belarus after 18:00 were subject to full document checks.
Defence officials described the incident as another example of the “hybrid pressure” Warsaw says Minsk exerts to destabilise the EU’s eastern frontier. Since August 2023 Poland has maintained a barbed-wire fence, electronic barrier and a 200-metre exclusion strip along most of the 418-kilometre border, yet commercial traffic had begun to normalise after two crossing points reopened late last year. Logistics operators moving automotive parts and consumer electronics between Minsk and Polish distribution hubs now face renewed uncertainty and potential schedule slippage.
![Poland reports surge in Belarus-origin drone flights, tightens border checks]()
In light of these disruptions, travellers and logistics planners may need rapid assistance securing the correct travel documents or transit visas. VisaHQ’s online portal provides real-time visa requirements, application support and courier services for Poland, helping drivers, engineers and business visitors avoid paperwork delays when border controls tighten without notice. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/poland/.
Business-mobility managers are advised to 1) allow extra buffer time for trucks transiting the Koroszczyn / Kukuryki and Bobrowniki crossings, 2) remind drivers that spontaneous detours into the ‘green border’ are strictly prohibited, and 3) ensure travellers carry printed invitations or assignment letters, which Border Guard officers increasingly ask to see. Companies with fly-in engineers should also monitor NOTAMs for potential short-notice air-space closures around Białystok and Suwałki.
While officials stressed that Poland’s airports and internal Schengen borders remain unaffected, analysts note that the pattern fits a broader uptick in grey-zone tactics—drones, cyber probing, and migrant-smuggling—used by Belarus and Russia. The Interior Ministry reiterated that temporary controls on Poland’s borders with Germany and Lithuania will remain in force until at least 4 April 2026 and could be reinforced at short notice if the eastern frontier comes under further pressure.
Although no munitions were dropped and no airspace infringement lasted more than a few seconds, the flights triggered the first use this winter of ‘yellow-alpha’ alert procedures. Border Guard patrols were reinforced overnight with military police and thermal-imaging teams; west-bound freight convoys were briefly routed through a secondary control lane and all buses entering from Belarus after 18:00 were subject to full document checks.
Defence officials described the incident as another example of the “hybrid pressure” Warsaw says Minsk exerts to destabilise the EU’s eastern frontier. Since August 2023 Poland has maintained a barbed-wire fence, electronic barrier and a 200-metre exclusion strip along most of the 418-kilometre border, yet commercial traffic had begun to normalise after two crossing points reopened late last year. Logistics operators moving automotive parts and consumer electronics between Minsk and Polish distribution hubs now face renewed uncertainty and potential schedule slippage.
In light of these disruptions, travellers and logistics planners may need rapid assistance securing the correct travel documents or transit visas. VisaHQ’s online portal provides real-time visa requirements, application support and courier services for Poland, helping drivers, engineers and business visitors avoid paperwork delays when border controls tighten without notice. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/poland/.
Business-mobility managers are advised to 1) allow extra buffer time for trucks transiting the Koroszczyn / Kukuryki and Bobrowniki crossings, 2) remind drivers that spontaneous detours into the ‘green border’ are strictly prohibited, and 3) ensure travellers carry printed invitations or assignment letters, which Border Guard officers increasingly ask to see. Companies with fly-in engineers should also monitor NOTAMs for potential short-notice air-space closures around Białystok and Suwałki.
While officials stressed that Poland’s airports and internal Schengen borders remain unaffected, analysts note that the pattern fits a broader uptick in grey-zone tactics—drones, cyber probing, and migrant-smuggling—used by Belarus and Russia. The Interior Ministry reiterated that temporary controls on Poland’s borders with Germany and Lithuania will remain in force until at least 4 April 2026 and could be reinforced at short notice if the eastern frontier comes under further pressure.
