Tusk announces closure of the border with Belarus

On the night of September 12, Poland will close its border with Belarus amid Belarusian-Russian military exercises. This decision was announced by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, reports RMF24.

"For reasons of national security, we will close our borders with Belarus, including railroad crossings, in connection with the Zapad exercise, on Thursday at midnight, from Thursday to Friday," Tusk said.

The largest Russian-Belarusian military exercise of the year, Zapad 2025, will take place from September 12-16. According to the announcement, thousands of soldiers and modern military equipment will take part in the exercise.

For years, the Zapad exercise has been a source of interest and concern among neighboring countries, especially in the context of tensions on NATO's eastern flank, the media.

• Earlier this month, a Polish citizen was detained in Belarus, accused of allegedly "spying" on upcoming military exercises. The Polish prime minister denied the accusation, and the country's Foreign Ministry subsequently "strongly recommended" all its citizens to urgently leave Belarus and not travel to it.
• Budanov said that the Russia-Belarus West 2025 military exercises do not pose a threat to Ukraine and the EU.