Poland has closed its border with Belarus amid Russian military exercises.

The government of Poland announced the closure of its border with Belarus starting Thursday at midnight as a precautionary measure in response to the joint military maneuvers between Russia and Belarus, known as "Zapad-2025" ("West-2025").

These large-scale maneuvers will begin on Friday and will take place in the west of Russia and Belarus, very close to the Polish border, which has triggered security alarms in neighboring countries and NATO members such as Lithuania and Latvia.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk justified the decision in a government meeting by stating that the maneuvers have a "very aggressive character from the point of view of military doctrine". Tusk emphasized that this is a necessary measure to protect national security in the face of an increasingly tense scenario in the region. The decision also includes the closure of railway crossings with Belarus.

Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński clarified that the reopening of the border will depend on the government being certain that "there is no longer any threat to Polish citizens." Poland had already closed most of its border crossings with Belarus in recent years, and currently only two remained operational, which will now also be deactivated.

The measure has caused a strong response from Belarus, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Poland's chargé d'affaires to express its formal protest.

Belarusian authorities described the closure as a unilateral decision that creates "significant difficulties," and considered it an abuse of Poland's geographical position. In addition, they suggested that the temporary suspension of the border crossing could be intended to conceal Warsaw's own actions rather than to respond to a real threat.

The Zapad-2025 exercises have been a cause for concern throughout the region. According to the Belarusian Minister of Defense, the maneuvers will include drills for the possible use of nuclear weapons and the use of the Russian intermediate-range hypersonic missile Oreshnik, which increases tensions with neighboring countries.

In response, NATO has deployed parallel military exercises on the western side of the border, with active participation from troops from Poland, Lithuania, and other allies.

Diplomatic tension has also intensified due to a series of espionage accusations. On Thursday, Belarusian media reported the detention of a Polish citizen in Belarus, accused of spying and possessing documents related to the military maneuvers.

Meanwhile, Donald Tusk announced that Poland arrested a Belarusian spy and will expel a diplomat accused of supporting hostile actions against the country. The arrest, according to Tusk, was the result of cooperation with Czechia and Romania.

Meanwhile, Prague also expelled a Belarusian diplomat on espionage charges, and in Romania, authorities are investigating a former Moldovan intelligence chief for treason. Belarus has condemned these actions and described them as "baseless," accusing the countries involved of following a coordinated policy aimed at increasing international and regional tensions.