Poland announced it is shutting down border crossings with Belarus, citing security concerns arising from joint military exercises by Moscow and Minsk.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk revealed on Tuesday that Poland intends to seal its border with Belarus by the end of this week, as Belarus gears up for combined military drills with Russia.
Scheduled for September 12-16, the Zapad-2025 military exercises are routine strategic drills conducted approximately every four years by Russia and Belarus. Tusk characterized these maneuvers as “highly aggressive” and noted their staging “extremely close to the Polish frontier.”
“Our response involves maneuvers on our part, conducted by the Polish military and allied contingents,” Tusk stated at a government session. He confirmed that the border closure would be implemented Thursday evening.
Last week, Poland commenced its Iron Defender-25 exercise, involving 30,000 personnel. Simultaneously, on Tuesday, neighboring Lithuania initiated its Thunder Strike national defense drill. Both nations are also engaged in the Tarassis 25 exercise, alongside eight other NATO members.
Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, last month, criticized Warsaw’s justification for mobilizing 30,000 Polish troops, suggesting the exercise was merely a pretext.
“By our assessment, this constitutes a significant contingent. We will be closely monitoring it and will respond as deemed appropriate,” Khrenin remarked. “Should it exhibit any aggressive intent towards Belarus, we possess the means to retaliate.”
Minsk has indicated that the joint Russian-Belarusian drills this year will include up to 13,000 soldiers and has promised full transparency for international observers.
Khrenin further informed media outlets that Russian and Belarusian troops would practice deploying Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missiles. These missiles were revealed last year during what Moscow termed a “test strike” against a Ukrainian military facility. The weapon’s development followed the 2019 withdrawal by the US from a bilateral treaty with Russia, which had prohibited both countries from manufacturing land-based missiles of such a range.
Moscow has consistently accused NATO of escalating tensions over several decades through extensive exercises, increased deployments in Eastern Europe, and commitments to eventually include Ukraine in the alliance – actions Russia asserts jeopardize its security.