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Did Paralympic vote and Polish border reopening matter?
Summary
A look back at two regional decisions: the International Paralympic Committee's vote on sanctions, and Poland's reopening of its border with Belarus.
What did the final week of September 2025 bring for Russia, Belarus and their neighbours? On 26 September 2025, members of the International Paralympic Committee voted not to maintain sanctions against the National Paralympic Committees of Russia and Belarus.
The vote concerned the two national bodies specifically. As reported at the time, the members chose against keeping the sanctions in place.
Poland reopens its border
Two days earlier, on 24 September 2025, Poland reopened its border with Belarus. Warsaw had closed the crossings while Russia-led military exercises were under way, and it cited reduced security risks and economic considerations for reopening them.
The exercises in question were Zapad 2025, a joint Russian-Belarusian strategic drill held in Belarus from 12 to 16 September 2025. It was the first Zapad exercise since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Authorities described a scaled-down format, with locations deeper inside Belarus. Main activities were staged at central training areas near Barysaw, with a reciprocal movement of units between the two states.
Two decisions, one week
The two decisions were separate and came from different bodies: one a sports federation's membership, the other a neighbouring state's government. Both concerned how Russia and Belarus were treated by the outside world at the end of that September. The Paralympic vote ended the sanctions on the two national committees. Poland's move restored a border crossing that had been shut for the duration of the drills.
