Thousands of Russian and Belarusian troops on the border. Polish and NATO troops on standby.

• Aggressive maneuvers on the Russian-Belarusian side are to take place in Belarus, very close to the Polish border, says Donald Tusk.
• The simulation of their operations targets, among other areas, the Suwałki Gap. The response also includes maneuvers on our side, by the Polish military and allied forces," he emphasizes.
• Nearly 30,000 troops may be present at the Russian-Belarusian exercises. The use of nuclear weapons is to be practiced. NATO forces will remain vigilant.

The aggressive Russian-Belarusian Zapad exercises begin on Friday (September 12).

Prime Minister Donald Tusk recalled that aggressive maneuvers on the Russian-Belarusian side are to take place in Belarus, very close to the Polish border.

He noted that the purpose of simulating their operations is, among others, the Suwałki Pass.

This has various consequences, including maneuvers on our side, the Polish army and allied forces.

- the Prime Minister noted.

He added that we are also dealing with an increasing number of various provocations from Russia and Belarus - within and outside the country.

He recalled, among other things, the arrest of a Polish citizen, a Jesuit, in Belarus.

Therefore, for reasons of state security, we are closing the borders with Belarus, including railway crossings, in connection with the Zapad exercises, at midnight from September 11 to 12.

- said the head of government.

He added that he had obliged the ministries affected by this decision to submit precise reports on its consequences.

The head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, Marcin Kierwiński, was asked at a conference after the meeting of the Council of Ministers about the regulation on closing borders.

The Prime Minister announced that this closure will take place on the night from Thursday to Friday, so it will be a regulation

- he noted.

The intention is very clear. The border closure is in connection with the "Zapad" maneuvers. Not for the duration of "Zapad," but in connection

- he said.

He added that the government will try to manage this process in such a way that the time of withdrawal of this regulation will be when we are completely safe.

The draft amendment to the regulation on the temporary suspension or restriction of border traffic at certain border crossing points assumes that from 12 September 2025, from midnight until further notice, border traffic at border crossing points with the Republic of Belarus will be completely suspended .

Officially, 13,000 soldiers are expected to participate in the Zapad-2025 exercises, which are scheduled for September 12-16.

The Inspector General of the German Bundeswehr, Carsten Breuer, said last Monday that 13,000 people in Belarus and 30,000 in Russia would participate in the exercises. Lithuanian officials gave smaller estimates – up to 30,000 Belarusian and Russian military personnel.

Breuer said there were no signs that an attack on NATO territory was being prepared under the cover of the Zapad-2025 exercises , but said that German and NATO forces would remain vigilant.

On August 13, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktar Khrenin announced that the Russian-Belarusian exercises would include training in planning the use of nuclear weapons and Oreshnik ballistic missiles.

The Zapad (Polish for "West") exercises were first held in 1981, with 150,000 soldiers participating. After the collapse of the USSR, Russia and Belarus resumed them in 1999. Since 2009, they have been held every four years.

To circumvent the provisions of the Vienna Document on confidence- and security-building measures, the exercises were typically declared to involve 13,000 troops , thus avoiding the requirement for observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. At the same time, they were a show of force towards NATO.

It is estimated that up to 70,000 military personnel participated in the Zapad-2017 exercises. Western intelligence indicates that 250,000 troops were involved in Zapad-2021. Some of these, concentrated in Belarus near the border with Ukraine , were used in the February 2022 invasion.