On Monday, Nov. 17, Poland is opening two border crossings with Belarus – in Bobrowniki and Kuźnica. The crossings were closed following the beginning of a campaign by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko in 2021 that used migrants to pressure the EU, and the subsequent imprisonment of journalist and activist of Polish origin, Andrzej Poczobut.
Polish authorities were ready to take such steps earlier, but the decision was postponed in agreement with Lithuania. Due to the threat posed by violations of Lithuanian airspace by Belarusian smuggling drones and meteorological balloons, Vilnius was forced, among other things, to halt air traffic and temporarily close the capital’s airport.
As a result, Lithuanian authorities decided to close border crossings with Belarus. Many trucks belonging to Lithuanian carriers are currently stuck in Belarus, and the regime’s authorities have even threatened to confiscate them.
Minsk’s reaction to Poland’s decision
The regime in Minsk reacted to the news of Poland’s intention to reopen the crossings. “We welcome Poland’s decision to reopen the two previously closed border crossings for the movement of people, vehicles, and goods. This step will have a positive impact on local trade and reflects Poland’s constructive approach,” the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said. At the same time, the ministry criticized Lithuania for failing to take similar steps.
So far, only one Polish-Belarusian crossing for passenger traffic and one for freight traffic have remained open. Waiting times to cross the border amount to dozens of hours. Earlier, in September 2025, Poland temporarily closed all border crossings with Belarus due to the military exercise Zapad taking place in Belarus.
Poland’s expectations: Poczobut and the investigation into killed soldier
Poland is counting on the release of Andrzej Poczobut, as well as assistance in the investigation into the killing of Polish soldier Mateusz Sitek, who died after being stabbed by a migrant in 2024. Belarus has been conducting migration pressure and weaponizing migrants at the border with Poland since 2021. On Nov. 11, 2025, during the Polish Independence Day, Andrzej Poczobut was awarded the Order of the White Eagle by President Nawrocki.
Andżelika Borys and her controversial interview
In September 2025, Andżelika Borys – a highly respected activist of the Polish minority and the chairwoman of the Union of Poles in Belarus – met with Andrzej Poczobut. Borys herself had been arrested in March 2021 on fabricated charges of inciting ethnic hatred and rehabilitating Nazism. In March 2022 she was released from prison, and in April 2023 the charges against her were dropped.
In November 2025 she gave a controversial interview to the regime newspaper Belarus Today, in which she commented, among other things, on the closed border.
“I will say this about borders: they should connect people, not divide them. And I have never heard ordinary citizens express joy that the borders were closed. Cultural ties built over so many years are breaking apart… Let me repeat: it is not the authorities who suffer the most, but ordinary people,” the Polish activist said.
She also added information claiming that Belarus is safe and that the Polish minority is not being repressed – information considered dubious, at best, given the number of imprisonments. Some observers assume that Borys has become a hostage of Lukashenko – that the Belarusian security services likely blackmailed her.
The border as a political pressure tool
The Belarusian dictator regularly speaks about Poland and often points to it as his main adversary. The border with Belarus is the most important tool of political leverage Warsaw has over Minsk. For Warsaw, it is also essential that Belarus maintain as much independence from Moscow as possible. Today, however, that independence is very limited.
This approach is part of the doctrine of Polish eastern policy, according to which the greatest guarantee of Poland’s security is the existence of independent states separating it from Russia. The situation is evolving, and the coming days will show what Belarus is able to offer Warsaw in return.
For now, however, a reset in relations is out of the question – only a small de-escalation is possible.