Crossing denied Over 1,500 vehicles get stuck in Belarus after Polish border closure catches residents and travelers off guard

Poland unilaterally closed its border with Belarus on Friday, shutting down all road, rail, and pedestrian crossings. Warsaw cited security concerns: Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the border would reopen only once the authorities were “100 percent certain” there was no threat.

The closure coincides with the start of Russia and Belarus’s Zapad-2025 military exercises. Poland’s decision to restrict crossings preceded the incursion of some 20 Russian drones into Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine on Wednesday.

The restrictions caught many border-area residents and travelers by surprise. Large numbers of Belarusians regularly cross into Poland to shop — including for groceries — and to work in Poland and Germany.

On Thursday night, long lines of buses and cars formed at border checkpoints as people tried to make it across before the closure. Some vehicles were stopped before reaching the Belarusian crossings and forced to turn back.

On the Polish side, new barriers went up, including barbed wire, concrete blocks, and metal shields. Armed guards were also deployed, with regular soldiers now patrolling alongside border officers.

After midnight, the checkpoints stood empty. Still, Belarus’s online queuing system remains active, and some drivers and passengers continue to arrive in hopes of a sudden reopening, though entry into Poland is currently impossible.

According to the system, as of midnight on September 11, about 1,680 cars and 65 buses were registered to cross, but only a fraction were allowed through by Polish authorities.

The only alternative routes for travelers from Belarus to Poland now run through Lithuania and Latvia, where land borders remain open but have far less capacity.

Minsk reacted sharply to Poland’s move. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry summoned the Polish chargé d’affaires to lodge a protest, calling the measures “illegal” and “destructive,” and accusing Warsaw of violating citizens’ rights and exerting political pressure. Russia also condemned the closure, warning it would harm trade, daily life, and border communities.