17:23 9 September 2025
Poland will close border with Belarus due to Russian-Belarusian exercises
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland will close all border crossings with Belarus, including rail, from midnight Thursday to Friday due to the Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2025 military exercises. The drills, scheduled for September 12–16 near the Polish border, will simulate operations targeting the Suwałki Gap and are officially said to involve 13,000 soldiers, though NATO estimates suggest far higher numbers.
Tusk warned of rising provocations by Minsk and Moscow, citing the arrest of a Polish Jesuit. Past Zapad exercises have been significantly larger than declared, with Zapad-2021 involving up to 250,000 troops, some later used in Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
(pb.pl)
