Just hours after Poland reopened the Podlaskie flight corridor, the Operational Command confirmed a fresh series of incursions by objects “resembling balloons” between 31 January and 1 February 2026. According to an official communique, the radar-tracked objects did not endanger civilian life, but their appearance marks at least the fourth incident in seven days and signals an escalation in Belarus’s hybrid-pressure campaign.
Border Guard officials believe the balloons were again carrying cartons of untaxed cigarettes—part of a smuggling operation worth an estimated €600 million annually. However, defence analysts warn that the launches also probe NATO reaction times and drain resources by forcing repeated scramble orders for Polish F-16s and Lithuanian L-39 surveillance aircraft.
For anyone needing to travel to Poland at short notice because of these developments, VisaHQ can streamline the process of obtaining Polish and wider Schengen visas. Their digital platform (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) offers real-time entry guidance and expedited document handling, which can be invaluable for corporate mobility teams redirecting staff around temporary airspace or border closures.
![Polish military tracks new wave of Belarusian ‘balloon’ incursions overnight]()
For global-mobility managers the operational fallout is tangible. In addition to ad-hoc airspace restrictions, freight forwarders using the Białystok–Kaunas road corridor report longer wait times as customs officers divert manpower to balloon-recovery patrols. Employers sending assignees to factories in Suwałki or logistics hubs around Białystok should anticipate sporadic road checks and brief closures of minor crossings.
Diplomatically, Warsaw has lodged a protest note with Minsk and is pressing for EU-level sanctions targeting companies linked to the smuggling networks. Should further incidents occur, the Interior Ministry is prepared to extend temporary land-border controls with Lithuania and impose a 10-km no-fly zone east of the S-19 expressway.
Companies with supply-chain exposure to Belarus or onward routes into the Baltic states are advised to review contingency plans, including alternative rail links via the Polish seaports of Gdańsk and Gdynia, and to keep travellers registered on their risk-management platforms so that alerts can be pushed the moment new incursions are detected.
Border Guard officials believe the balloons were again carrying cartons of untaxed cigarettes—part of a smuggling operation worth an estimated €600 million annually. However, defence analysts warn that the launches also probe NATO reaction times and drain resources by forcing repeated scramble orders for Polish F-16s and Lithuanian L-39 surveillance aircraft.
For anyone needing to travel to Poland at short notice because of these developments, VisaHQ can streamline the process of obtaining Polish and wider Schengen visas. Their digital platform (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) offers real-time entry guidance and expedited document handling, which can be invaluable for corporate mobility teams redirecting staff around temporary airspace or border closures.
For global-mobility managers the operational fallout is tangible. In addition to ad-hoc airspace restrictions, freight forwarders using the Białystok–Kaunas road corridor report longer wait times as customs officers divert manpower to balloon-recovery patrols. Employers sending assignees to factories in Suwałki or logistics hubs around Białystok should anticipate sporadic road checks and brief closures of minor crossings.
Diplomatically, Warsaw has lodged a protest note with Minsk and is pressing for EU-level sanctions targeting companies linked to the smuggling networks. Should further incidents occur, the Interior Ministry is prepared to extend temporary land-border controls with Lithuania and impose a 10-km no-fly zone east of the S-19 expressway.
Companies with supply-chain exposure to Belarus or onward routes into the Baltic states are advised to review contingency plans, including alternative rail links via the Polish seaports of Gdańsk and Gdynia, and to keep travellers registered on their risk-management platforms so that alerts can be pushed the moment new incursions are detected.
