Poland Warns

• 27.09.2025, 15:38

Maybe the border was only opened so that the Poles could return?

The Polish Embassy in Minsk urged its citizens to urgently leave the territory of Belarus. It did so immediately after the reopening of the border crossings, closed two weeks ago. Given the experience of Belarusian-Polish relations, it's becoming somehow alarming, writes planbmedia.io.

Maybe the border was opened just for the sake of Poles' return?

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appeals to the citizens of Poland, remaining on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, with a request to immediately leave its territory by available commercial and private means," reads the statement.

The call was made on September 25. On that day at midnight, Poland reopened the border crossings closed on September 12. The formal reason for closing the border was the Belarusian-Russian joint exercises Zapad-2025.

But after the exercises ended the border was not reopened. On the contrary, the Polish authorities put forward a number of additional claims to Minsk. Including demands for the release of Poles detained in Belarus, the cessation of migrant attacks. As well as the extradition of a migrant, who killed a Polish soldier during another storming of the border a year ago.

The decision to open the border was taken by Warsaw the next day, after negotiations with Lukashenko by a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. While opening the border, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that it could be closed back if the security situation worsened.

Nothing is known at the moment about any steps that official Minsk has taken in response. Journalist Anjay Pochobut is in jail. The migrants storming the border, at least as of earlier this week, have not gotten any smaller. Even the Carmelite monk, whose arrest was the last straw that overflowed the cup of Polish patience, has not been released.

So, the Polish embassy is not in vain warning its citizens that traveling to Belarus is not safe. And transparently hints:

"In case of a sharp deterioration of the security situation, border closure or other unforeseen circumstances, evacuation may be much more difficult or even impossible."

There are no statistics on how many Poles are now in Belarus. However, it is known that as of September 17, almost 1.5 thousand Polish trucks were stuck on the Belarusian border. The Belarusian authorities extended their stay for ten days, calling it a goodwill gesture.

Now the border has been opened and the trucks can leave. But it usually takes more than one day.

But the Belarusian Foreign Ministry earlier warned that Minsk would continue to act "according to the law." And the law provides that stuck trucks can be arrested and drivers detained. So, the Polish authorities have every reason to worry about their citizens and their property. Especially considering that the Belarusian authorities have long lived by the principle of "not before the laws."

So the opening of the border gives the opportunity to Polish citizens to return back. And if the opening of the border turns out to be temporary, those who do not want to return will have to blame themselves. You have been warned.

And given the experience of Belarusian-Polish relations, after such warnings it becomes alarming. The joy about the open border may not turn out to be short-lived.