In response to Russia’s Zapad military exercises, which are also taking place on Belarusian territory, Poland has announced that it is closing its border with Belarus to reduce the risk to national security, reports Politico.
The border was closed on the night of the 10th of September, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk cited the highly aggressive military exercises that Moscow is holding with Belarus as the reason. The exercises take place about once every four years and simulate a clash with NATO forces in Eastern Europe.
Tusk said that Poland is experiencing increasing provocations from Russia and Belarus. During Zapad, from the 12th to the 16 of September, tens of thousands of soldiers will conduct maneuvers near the Polish and Lithuanian borders.
Some parts of the exercises will take place just a few dozen kilometers from NATO borders.
The Russians and Belarusians are also expected to use the Oreshnik missile system, which can theoretically carry nuclear warheads. Tusk said the main “target” of the exercises is the NATO-controlled Suwalki Gap – a stretch of about 70 kilometers that separates Belarus from the Russian enclave of Koenigsberg. In the event of war, Russia needs to control it.
Poland has previously closed its border with Belarus in recent years. This was due to strained relations with Minsk, and last year Warsaw suspended asylum for migrants entering the country from Belarus, saying the Belarusian government was creating a hybrid war situation.
Read also: Rinkēvičs: Russian drone attack on Poland also affects Latvia