Poland reopens two border checkpoints with Belarus

Poland has resumed operations at the Bobrowniki and Kuznica crossings on its frontier with Belarus.

In the early hours of Monday, November 17, Polish authorities reopened two checkpoints on the Belarus border: Bobrowniki (known as Berestovitsa on the Belarusian side) and Kuznica (Bruzgi), Caliber.Az reports via BelTA.

Four crossings now function along the Poland–Belarus frontier, including Terespol–Brest and Kukuryki–Kozlovichi, while two remain shut — Polovtsy–Peschatka and Slavatyche–Domachevo.

The Belarus–Poland border stretches approximately 400 km, forming both a national boundary and part of the eastern frontier of the European Union.

The newly reopened checkpoints had been closed during escalating tensions: Kuznica was suspended in November 2021 amid a sharp spike in migrant flows, while Bobrowniki was shut in February 2023 as relations between Warsaw and Minsk deteriorated further.

Since 2021, this borderline has become a focal point of strain amid allegations that Belarus has encouraged or directed large numbers of migrants toward Poland in what Warsaw and Brussels characterise as hybrid operations or border-pressure campaigns.

In response, Poland constructed a steel and sensor-equipped barrier in 2022 to strengthen security and reduce irregular crossings.

By Jeyhun Aghazada