Poland closes borders with Belarus due to Zapad-2025 exercises: Warsaw warns of provocations

Poland announced the complete closure of its borders with Belarus on the night of September 12. The reason was the large-scale joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises “West-2025”, which Warsaw views as a potential security threat.

This is reported by RMF24 .

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the decision applies to both road and rail checkpoints. According to him, the country is recording not only activity related to the preparation of the exercises, but also other provocations by Russia and Belarus both on the territory of Poland and abroad.

“In this regard, for reasons of state security, we will close the borders with Belarus, including railway crossings, in connection with the Zapad maneuvers, on Thursday at midnight, from Thursday to Friday,” Tusk stressed, but did not specify how long the restrictions would last.

Last week, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz recalled that in 2022, it was after military exercises in Belarus that the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

“We must be sensitive to such actions. Poland is closely monitoring the situation and is fully prepared,” the minister emphasized.

Chief of the General Staff, General Wiesław Kukula, also warned that the country must be prepared for possible provocations, sabotage, and even potential aggression under the guise of exercises.

It is worth adding that the Zapad-2025 exercises will take place from September 12 to 16 on the territory of Belarus. Despite official statements from Minsk about moving the main stages “deeper into the country” allegedly to reduce tension, Russian military personnel began arriving in Belarus in early August. It is difficult to determine the exact number of personnel, however, according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, it is not significant.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned back in the spring that under the guise of such exercises, attempts at pressure or even real actions against Ukraine are possible. Head of the Defense Ministry’s GUR Kyrylo Budanov predicted that a “crazy wave of information escalation” would begin on September 12, as the exercises would be used as an element of hybrid warfare.

By the way, a Lithuanian intelligence officer said that up to 30,000 soldiers will participate in the joint military exercises of Russia and Belarus “West-2025”.

Earlier it became known that the first Russian troops are already in Belarus , they will take part in joint exercises, the active phase of which is scheduled for September. It is worth noting that within the framework of the joint military exercises of Minsk and Moscow , the Russians have transferred echelons of equipment to Belarus .

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