Poland has closed its border with Belarus in response to large-scale Russian-Belarusian military drills, a move Moscow criticized as “destructive,” warning that it could have consequences.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced Tuesday that the border with Belarus would be closed from midnight on Sept. 12 (2200 GMT on Sept. 11), in response to upcoming joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises.
NATO’s eastern flank members Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia are on high alert over the drills, which Tusk said are designed to simulate the occupation of the Suwalki corridor, a strategically vital strip of Polish territory linking the Baltic states with the rest of NATO.
The Zapad exercises, usually held every four years, are being conducted for the first time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and are scheduled to run until Sept. 16.
Belarus initially announced in January that 13,000 troops would take part, but later said in May the figure would be reduced by around half.
Russia in response urged Poland to reopen its border with Belarus, calling Warsaw’s decision “destructive” and warning of consequences.
“We urge Warsaw to consider the consequences of such destructive steps and to review its decision as soon as possible,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
She added that the border closure was intended to “justify a policy of further escalating tensions in the center of Europe.”
Zakharova accused Warsaw of having “demonstratively” ignored “goodwill” gestures by Moscow and Minsk to relocate the drills further from the border and to reduce the number of troops involved.
Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kerwiński announced during a press conference at the Terespol border checkpoint, as per Polish news outlet Onet:
“At midnight we closed the border with Belarus. This is due to the Zapad-2025 military exercises.”
According to him, the drills are aimed directly “against Poland and the European Union.”
“The movement will resume, but only when we are confident in the guaranteed security of Poles. From an economic point of view, we will strive to open the border as soon as possible,” Kerwiński added.
The suspension applies in both directions – both for departures from Poland to Belarus and for entry into Poland. The restrictions cover road transport as well as freight trains.
In particular, passenger cars can no longer cross at the Terespol-Brest checkpoint, while truck drivers are barred at the Kukuriki-Kozlovichi crossing. Three railway border crossings for freight have also been closed: Kuźnica Białostocka-Grodno, Siemianówka-Swisloch, and Terespol-Brest.
Meanwhile, Belarusian state outlet BelTA reported that Polish authorities had erected barbed wire and installed barrier shields at the border. As of 01:00 Belarusian time, Poland had not allowed a single vehicle to cross.
According to reports, only a few buses now remain on the bridge between Belarus and Poland, and drivers will have to seek alternative routes to re-enter the EU.