Poland closed one of its three existing border crossings with Belarus today, as the country's prime minister hinted at further restrictions due to "growing tensions" with Minsk.
The decision to close the crossing came a day after a Belarusian court sentenced Polish-Belarusian reporter Andrzej Poczobut to eight years in prison over his critical reporting on the Moscow-aligned regime in Minsk.
The Bobrowniki border checkpoint was closed at noon local time (1100 GMT), leaving only two crossings with Belarus open.
The Polish interior ministry said the reason for closing the checkpoint was "state security," and that it will remain closed until further notice.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said further closures cannot be ruled out.
"The reason for this is that there are growing tensions with Belarus and they are being instrumentalised by the Russians and the Kremlin," Morawiecki told reporters in Brussels.
Following the Poczobut verdict, which Morawiecki called "inhumane", Warsaw said it would expand the scope of its Belarus sanctions.
Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said "people responsible for repressive measures against Polish people in Belarus" will be added to the existing sanctions list.
At loggerheads with the West, Minsk often singles out Warsaw as a particular threat, and Poland has become a hub for exiled Belarusians.
Crossing closure could lead to 'collapse'
Belarus criticised the decision saying it could lead to a "collapse" on both sides of the border.
Minsk described the move as irrational and dangerous.
"The actions of the Polish authorities could lead to a collapse on both sides of the border," Belarus' border committee said in a statement shared on social media.
Only two of six major land crossing points along the two countries' 400km border are now open, Belarus' border force said in a statement.
"With the closure of another Polish checkpoint, the situation will become catastrophic," Belarus' border force added, pointing to already existing long lines at border crossings.
"The load on the remaining two checkpoints will critically increase".
Minsk also said it believed the decision was purposefully designed to "further aggravate the situation at the border and limit citizens' travel".
