Major Gen. Andrei Łukjanovich, commander of the Belarusian air force and anti-aircraft defense, said on 16 August 2026 that Minsk does not see any threat from Poland, Lithuania and Latvia and maintains operational contacts. For Poland it is simply a signal worth noting, but not a reason for naivety.
Minsk says calmer, Poland must look hard
Gen. Major Andrei Łukjanovich appeared in the Belarusian state media as commander of the Air Force and the Anti-Air defence Army of Belarus. How stated BELTA, military stated that aviation and land component activity decreased at the western borders of Belarus and the current situation is stable. In the Polish translation, the meaning of his message is clear: there are no threats now.
These are words another than aggressive propaganda, to which Minsk utilized Poles after 2020. However, 1 must not confuse the calmer phrase with the actual change of course. The Polish State is obliged to talk technically where it concerns safety of flights and avoid incidents. He is besides obliged to remember that the government of Alexander Lukashenka has treated the Polish minority, the border and migration pressures as tools of politics for years.
Operational contacts are not a breakthrough
Łukjanowicz said that after the operating line there is constant cooperation with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Reported Sputnik Belarus the parties are to inform each another of the flights in the border runway and the dialog with Latvia has late been restored. These are method channels. At the NATO border, specified channels are needed due to the fact that 1 pilot error, false alarm or bad explanation of flight can trigger a crisis greater than the political intention itself.
Poland should not reject specified contacts for the motion itself. Tough national realism is to reduce the hazard to its own citizens, soldiers and infrastructure. But talking about flights does not invalidate the fundamental question: does Minsk halt being a tool of force on the east flank, or is it just changing speech due to the fact that it is seeking breath between Moscow and the West?
That is why all opinion of the Belarusian general must be compared with facts. Belarus remains linked to Russia militarily and politically, and the war in Ukraine has made it part of the Russian strategical background. The Polish border cannot be a hostage to the propaganda waves of Minsk.
A conchobut as a test of intent
Andrzej Poczobut's thread gives the Polish burden. A writer and activist of the Polish number was released on 28 April 2026 after more than 5 years in prison, as confirmed in Communication from Polish peculiar Services. In March 2021 he was detained by the Lukashenko regime, and on 8 February 2023 the Belarusian court sentenced him to 8 years of penal colony.
It wasn't just a criminal case. It was a blow to the man who defended Polish memory, language and number rights in Belarus. Therefore, Pochobut's announcement concerning return to Grodna and work for Polish community are a applicable test for Minsk. If Belarus wants to pretend to be normal, let it show this not only in military talks, but in treating Poles at home.
Polish business is simple here. Border security, freedom of our fellow countrymen in Belarus, protection of Polish heritage and the end of migration blackmail. Only specified a package can be called a change. The general's only message is simply a signal.
The border remembers more than diplomacy
Since 2021, the Polish and Baltic border with Belarus has become a place of hybrid pressure. Minsk was able to usage people as a force tool, and Moscow utilized all crack in western determination. The past fewer months have besides made it hard to sleep calmly: DN wrote about Latvia discovered a tunnel under the border with BelarusWhich shows the degree of the problem for the full east flank.
Therefore, the Polish reaction should be cool. Yes, for deconflict channels. So for the exchange of information erstwhile it reduces the hazard of an uncontrolled incident. Not for political amnesia. Not for pretending that a fewer sentences on Belarusian tv have crossed years of repression, provocation and dependence on the Kremlin.
Security, the well-being of commentators are at stake for Poles. If Minsk truly wants stability, the road is visible: the end of force on the border, respect for the Polish minority, no repression of Pochobut and real military transparency. Until then, Poland should listen, check and strengthen its own immunity. Trust will only come after action.
Source: BELTA, Sputnik Belarus, Reform.news, Gov.pl, == sync, corrected by elderman ==.
