Opinion: Poland needed helicopter story for media hype

There is no doubt among Belarusians that a Polish helicopter really violated the country’s state border – as noted by the Chairman of the Youth Parliament at the National Assembly, Nikita Rachilovsky

Photo: Belarusian State Border Committee’s video screenshot

As noted by Mr. Rachilovsky, the violation was rude and deliberately provocative. “I would rather say it was done demonstratively. Poles wanted to show how brazen they are and, without hesitation, can cross our border illegally at such a long distance: more than a kilometre. It could not have happened by accident. Moreover, the weather was fine, and they knew that everything would be perfectly registered,” he said.

The youth leader is convinced that Poland denies the fact for some reasons. “Poles understand that Belarus will not respond to that provocation with military actions. Our country always maintains a wise position. At the same time, I want to emphasise that Belarus would never have allowed itself to cross the border so brazenly. In turn, they are doing so, wishing to demonstrate their impudence. They also wish to create a media hype, intentionally presenting Belarus as a liar. It will be convenient for them to use this situation in case of any further actions,” he explained.

Mr. Rachilovsky does not also rule out that the illegal crossing of the helicopter could be a direct message to the CSTO countries. “We are currently hosting the exercises, demonstrating our unity and capabilities. In this way, Poland is making it clear that it and its NATO allies are nearby,” he added.