In a relatively short briefing, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged all citizens to immediately leave Belarus and avoid travel to this country. The statement was made by the ministry’s spokesperson Pavlo Vronsky; the information was also picked up by radio stations, including RMF FM. It concerns the detention of a Polish citizen – a Catholic monk, whom Belarusian authorities accused of alleged espionage during the joint Russian-Belarusian exercises “West-2025”.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly advises against traveling to Belarus. Polish citizens may encounter events there that will not be favorable for them. This is not a democratic country, and it is also not a country friendly to the Republic of Poland”
– Pavlo Vronsky, MFA spokesperson
The deputy minister assured that Warsaw would fully support the detained citizen and regards the incident as a provocation aimed at destabilizing both Poland and the region.
“We proceed from the understanding that one of the aims of this event, which is an obvious provocation, is to destabilize the situation in Poland and to bolster its image in Ukraine. We do not want to take part in such a theater”
– Pavlo Vronsky, MFA spokesperson
Subsequently, Belarusian media and online outlets reported, citing the Zerkalo portal, that on September 4 a report about the detention of the Polish citizen Grzegorz Gavela from Krakow aired on Belarusian state television. According to the source, the man allegedly was gathering information about the West-2025 exercises. In Poland, this event was described as a provocation, and concerns were raised about using such a story for political pressure.
The Russian and Belarusian exercises under the codename “West-2025” began on August 6: the first train with Russian service members and equipment for training and further participation in joint drills with the Belarusian army arrived in Belarus. The Belarusian Defense Ministry reported that the exercises would run from September 12 to 16. The main objective of the drills, according to official authorities, is to assess the region’s capabilities to ensure security and repel potential aggression. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had suggested that Russia this summer could use these drills as a pretext to intensify actions in the region. Also, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, emphasized that one possible scenario is the creation of covert groups of offensive forces in Belarus.
Context of the events and the international community’s reaction
The Polish government stated its support for the detained and emphasized that it would do everything possible to protect its citizens abroad. At the same time, experts note that the detention case could be used as a tool of destabilization, particularly in light of the prolonged instability in the region after the start of the “West-2025” exercises.
Within the broader context of British-Ukrainian and European discussions on security and the role of the exercises, this incident is viewed as part of a wider information field where each side seeks to strengthen its positions. The Belarusian authorities, for their part, assure that the actions by law enforcement were lawful and in accordance with the country’s legislation.