Poland urges citizens to leave Belarus immediately
Polish citizens are advised to leave Belarus immediately and avoid travel there, Poland’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski said on Sept. 5.
The recommendation follows the arrest of a Polish Catholic monk whom Belarusian authorities accuse of espionage. The events took place during the Russia-Belarus military exercises, Polish outlet RMF FM reported.
At a briefing, Wronski warned that Polish travelers could face dangerous situations in Belarus, which he described as an undemocratic state and not a friendly partner to Poland.
“We believe one of the goals of this act, which is an obvious provocation, is to destabilize the situation in Poland and bolster its image in Ukraine,” said the official.
“We don’t want to take part in such theater.”
Wronski added that Poland would actively support the detained citizen.
Belarusian authorities said on Sept. 4 they arrested 27-year-old Grzegorz Gawel of Krakow in Lepel, Vitebsk Oblast, along with another individual. They allegedly found classified documents on the Zapad-2025 exercises in their possession.
Lithuania’s military intelligence previously said that, according to its analysis, some 30,000 troops from Belarus and Russia will take part in Zapad-2025.
On May 28, Russia and Belarus decided to scale back Zapad-2025 and hold the main maneuvers further away from their western borders. The Institute for the Study of War said this may be an attempt to create the appearance of active cooperation and conceal Russia’s limited capabilities beyond the Ukrainian front.
On April 9, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi suggested the joint exercises could be part of preparations for a new offensive against Ukraine, saying the threat to Kyiv from the beyond the border with Belarus remains.
After Zapad-2021 exercises concluded in September 2021, some Russian units remained in Belarus, from where they invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, aiming to siege and capture Kyiv in the opening weeks of the war.
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