Poland warns citizens to leave Belarus now and avoid travel
The border between Poland and Belarus (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Poland has urged its citizens to immediately leave Belarus and refrain from traveling there following the detention by Minsk of a Polish monk on charges of espionage, states a spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paweł Wroński.
On Friday, September 5, during a briefing, Paweł Wroński addressed his fellow citizens, stating that Polish nationals in Belarus could face events that would not be favorable for them. For this reason, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is urging Poles to avoid visiting the country.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly advises against traveling to the territory of Belarus. It is not a democratic country and not a country friendly to the Republic of Poland,” Wroński said.
The reason for these statements is the recent escalation in relations between Warsaw and Minsk following the detention of a Polish Catholic monk, whom Belarusian authorities accused of alleged espionage during the joint Russian-Belarusian exercise Zapad-2025.
Paweł Wroński promised that Poland would provide all possible support to the detained citizen and called the incident an obvious provocation by the Belarusian authorities.
According to the diplomat, the goal of these actions is to destabilize the situation in Poland while simultaneously strengthening Minsk’s political positions.
Belarusian state media showed footage of the detention of Polish citizen Grzegorz Havel from Krakow, who was accused of collecting intelligence on the Zapad-2025 exercises. Meanwhile, the independent portal Zerkalo found that Havel is a Catholic monk of the Carmelite order and defended an academic dissertation on a religious topic.
In Warsaw, the demonstrative detention of its citizens was called a political provocation aimed at putting pressure on Poland and its allies.
What is known about the Zapad-2025 exercises
The maneuvers are scheduled to take place on Belarusian territory and partially in Russia from September 12 to 16. According to official statements, the purpose of the exercises is to test the capabilities of Russia and Belarus regarding ensuring security and repelling potential aggression.
At the same time, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, believes that under the cover of these exercises, offensive military groupings may be secretly formed.
Earlier, the head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, warned that from the first days of the Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2025 exercises, there would be heavy information pressure.
