Poland reopens key border crossings with Belarus
Poland has reopened two major road crossings on its border with Belarus, restoring access years after the posts were shut amid heightened political tensions.
The Kuźnica and Bobrowniki checkpoints, located in the country’s northeast, resumed operations in a move expected to stimulate the regional economy, News.Az reports, citing TVP World.
The Kuźnica crossing was closed in November 2021 after Poland accused Belarus of orchestrating a migrant crisis by directing hundreds of people toward the border in an attempt to destabilize both Poland and the European Union.
Bobrowniki was shut down in February 2023, not long after a Belarusian court sentenced Polish-Belarusian journalist and activist Andrzej Poczobut to prison, in a case widely condemned as politically motivated.
Polish authorities reopened the road checkpoints at Kuźnica and Bobrowniki at midnight on Monday.
Poland's Interior Ministry said that reopening two border crossings with Belarus was possible only after securing the border—where large numbers of migrants have been trying to cross into Poland illegally.
Officials also said they consulted the local authorities and business owners, who had long urged the government to restore at least one road link to Belarus.
Governor of the Podlaskie region, Jacek Brzozowski, said businesses across the region had suffered steep losses during the closures. He told reporters in Bobrowniki that border trade had long been central to the area’s economy, which also relies heavily on agriculture.
He added that many local businesses had seen their “life’s work” undermined by the shutdown, including hotels, restaurants, and transport companies. He called the reopening “a historic moment” and urged entrepreneurs to rebuild their operations.
Zbigniew Stawicki, deputy head of Poland’s National Revenue Administration, which oversees customs, said the shutdown had been especially difficult for residents whose livelihoods depend on cross-border commerce.
Under the new arrangements, the Kuźnica–Bruzgi crossing will handle only passenger vehicles, excluding buses. Bobrowniki–Bierestovitsa will allow cars, buses, and freight vehicles.
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