Poland to reopen Belarus crossings closed over Russia tensions

WARSAW,

Poland plans to reopen two border crossings with Belarus on Monday that were previously closed amid tensions linked to joint Russian army drills, the Polish government announced.

The crossings had also been shut after 21 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, further straining Warsaw’s relations with Moscow and Minsk.

On Thursday evening, Poland’s interior ministry announced a draft plan for the reopenings, citing the needs of “a large group of entrepreneurs, carriers, and people travelling to work” between the two countries. “The planned (reopenings) are aimed at resuming the flow of people and goods,” the ministry said.

The crossings at Bobrowniki and Kuznica Bialostocka will reopen from Monday, November 17. Kuznica Bialostocka will allow only passenger cars, while Bobrowniki will also permit trucks registered in Europe.

Deputy Interior Minister Wieslaw Szczepanski told Polskie Radio that there had been “fewer attempts and acts of aggression” along the border and that “the border is currently thoroughly secured.”

Lithuania, meanwhile, will keep its border crossings with Belarus closed until November 30.

Poland and Belarus have long had strained ties due to Minsk’s close links with Moscow, further exacerbated by the ongoing migration crisis since 2021 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.