Poland closed its border with Belarus in response to large-scale Russian-Belarusian military exercises. Moscow criticized the move, calling it "destructive" and warning of potential consequences. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Tuesday that the border with Belarus would be closed from midnight on September 12th in connection with the upcoming joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises. NATO's eastern flank – Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia – is on heightened alert ahead of the exercises, which Tusk said are intended to simulate the seizure of the Suwałki Pass, a strategically important strip of Polish territory connecting the Baltic states with the rest of NATO.
The suspension applies in both directions – for travel from Poland to Belarus and entry into Poland. The restrictions apply to both road transport and freight trains. In particular, passenger cars are no longer allowed to cross the border via the Terespol-Brest border crossing, and truck drivers via the Kukuriki-Kozłowicze border crossing. Three rail border crossings are also closed to freight traffic: Kuźnica Białostocka-Grodno, Siemianówka-Swisłakh, and Terespol-Brest. Meanwhile, the Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported that Polish authorities had installed barbed wire and barriers at the border. As of 1:00 a.m. Belarusian time, Poland had not allowed a single vehicle to cross the border. According to available information, only a few buses remained on the bridge between Belarus and Poland, and drivers will have to find alternative routes to return to the EU.