Belarus: Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises citizens to depart the country as of Oct. 11

Event

Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel advisory, as of Oct. 11, urging Polish citizens not to travel to Belarus, and those in that country to depart the country with available commercial or private means. The advisory has been issued due to increasing tensions between Minsk and Warsaw over the military operations in the region, and recurring incidents of arrests of Polish citizens in Belarus.

Context

Authorities in Poland are increasingly concerned that Belarus could use detained Polish citizens as bargaining chips amid rising tensions between Russia, and by extension Belarus, on one side, and Ukraine and its Western backers on the other. Belarus has previously sought to pressure Poland through the use of civilians. Starting in July 2021, Minsk encouraged largely Middle Eastern and Asian migrants and asylum seekers to illegally cross the Belarusian border with Poland in an effort to create a border crisis in Poland, as well as in other EU countries bordering Belarus. In response, Poland built a 400-km (250-mile) border fence on the Poland-Belarus border.

There is a large Polish-speaking minority mostly located in western Belarus and there are concerns that Minsk is putting increasing pressure on such individuals. Polish-language schools have been barred from operating and at least one journalist of Polish descent has been charged with terrorism.

Advice

Follow all official instructions. Monitor local developments closely. Maintain contact with diplomatic representations.