Poland Shuts Border with Belarus Amid Zapad-2025 Drills

WARSAW, Sept. 9 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland will close all crossings with Belarus at midnight Thursday in response to Russia-led “Zapad-2025” military exercises near its eastern frontier.

Nut Graf Tusk cited rising provocations, including sabotage and espionage, and pledged reciprocal NATO-allied drills on Polish territory to safeguard national security. The move underscores Warsaw’s mounting concerns over Russian-Belarusian cooperation and regional stability.

Border Closure Details

  • What: Complete suspension of border and rail crossings with Belarus
  • When: From 00:00 CEST, Thursday, Sept. 11
  • Who: Ordered by Prime Minister Donald Tusk
  • Why: To counter large-scale Russian-Belarusian “Zapad-2025” war games starting Sept. 12
  • How: Through Cabinet decree; reopening contingent on threat assessment

Tusk noted recent arson attacks, disinformation campaigns and the detention of a Polish monk in Minsk as aggravating provocations. He also announced the expulsion of a Belarusian diplomat and detention of a suspected agent by Poland’s Internal Security Agency.

Airspace Alert after Drone Incursion

Poland’s air force, in coordination with allied NATO jets, scrambled fighter aircraft early Wednesday following Ukraine’s warning that Russian reconnaissance drones had crossed into Polish airspace. No damage was reported, but the incident heightened alert levels along the eastern border.

NATO Response and Regional Context

NATO has launched parallel exercises, dubbed “Iron Defender-25,” involving over 30,000 troops and heavy hardware on Polish soil. Lithuania likewise has reinforced its frontier security, reflecting shared alarm among Baltic states and Poland.

Zapad-2025, held every four years, officially involves 13,000 troops but is widely expected to be larger, with drills simulating nuclear strikes and missile launches. Warsaw and its allies view the exercises as aggressive posturing akin to maneuvers that preceded Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.