Russia urges Poland to reopen Belarus border, warns of consequences over Zapad drills

Russia on Thursday called on Poland to reverse its decision to close its border with Belarus, describing the move as “destructive” and cautioning that it could lead to serious consequences.

“We urge Warsaw to consider the consequences of such destructive steps and to review its decision as soon as possible,” AFP quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying in a statement.

On Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the border with Belarus would be closed starting from 0000 local time on September 12 (2200 GMT on September 11), in response to upcoming joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus.

Zakharova criticised the move, calling it an attempt “to justify a policy of further escalating tensions in the centre of Europe.”

NATO’s eastern flank members — Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia — are currently on high alert as the large-scale Zapad 2025 war games get underway.

According to Tusk, the drills are intended to simulate the occupation of the Suwalki corridor, a strategically vital strip of land in northeastern Poland connecting the Baltic states with the rest of Nato.

Typically held every four years, this year’s Zapad exercises are the first since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and are scheduled to run until September 16.

While Belarus initially said in January that 13,000 troops would take part, it announced in May that the number would be cut by roughly half.

Zakharova accused Warsaw of “demonstratively” ignoring what she described as “goodwill gestures” from Moscow and Minsk, including relocating parts of the exercise away from the Polish border and reducing troop numbers.

With inputs from agencies