Amid rising tensions, Poland urges citizens to 'immediately' leave Belarus
Poland's Embassy in Minsk called on Polish citizens to "immediately leave" Belarus on Sept. 25, amid rising tensions stemming from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"In the event of a drastic deterioration in the security situation, border closures, or other unforeseen circumstances, evacuation may prove significantly more difficult or even impossible," the embassy said in a statement.
The warning comes amid rising tensions between NATO and Russia following a series of airspace violations, as well as the "repeated arbitrary arrests of Polish citizens."
Over the past month, Russian drones have violated Polish, Romanian, and possibly Danish airspace.
On Sept. 19, Estonia accused Russia of violating its airspace with three MiG-31 fighter jets, which remained in Estonian airspace for 12 minutes. While, just today, Hungarian fighter jets intercepted five Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
Bloomberg reported Sept. 25 that European diplomats warned Russian officials this week that NATO is prepared to respond to further airspace violations with force, including by shooting down Russian planes.
While Belarus is not directly involved with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country has supported Russian troop movements throughout the war. At the outset of the full-scale invasion, Belarus permitted its territory to be used as a staging ground for Russia’s attempt to seize Kyiv from the southern border.
In recent week, amid inflamed tensions, the country hosted Russian troops during the Zapad-2025 Russian-Belarusian military exercises.
Polish officials have also escalated rhetoric towards Russia in recent weeks following a Russian drone incursion onto Polish territory on Sept. 10.
Amid U.S. President Donald Trump's apparent rhetoric shift towards Moscow, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski signalled his support for shooting down Russian jets, writing "Roger that" on social media in response to Trump's comment that NATO allies should shoot down the aircraft.
Despite Polish calls to leave the country, Warsaw lifted on Sept. 24 its border closure with Belarus imposed during Zapad-2025 drills.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized that the option to close the crossings again remains on the table. "If the tension or aggressive behavior of our neighbors increases, we will not hesitate and we will again decide to close the crossings," he said.
