Home › World › Why did Poland reopen its Belarus border?
Why did Poland reopen its Belarus border?
Summary
A look back at Warsaw's decision to lift border closures imposed during the Russia-led Zapad exercises.
Why did Poland reopen its border with Belarus on 24 September 2025? As reported at the time, Warsaw pointed to reduced security risks and to economic considerations.
The closures had been put in place while Russia-led military exercises were under way. Those drills, known as Zapad 2025, were a joint Russian-Belarusian strategic exercise held in Belarus on 12–16 September 2025. Belarus said they would test the defensive readiness of the Union State, with main activities staged at central training areas near Barysaw and a reciprocal movement of units between the two states.
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.
The reopening on 24 September 2025 came after the exercises had ended. Poland's stated reasoning combined two strands: the security picture had eased, and the cost of keeping the frontier shut was a factor in the decision.
