Government Seeks Extension of Buffer Zone at Belarus Border Amid Persistent Threats

The Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration has prepared a regulation to extend the border buffer zone with Belarus for another 90 days starting September 1, 2026.

Extension of the Border Buffer Zone

The Ministry of Interior and Administration has prepared another regulation extending the validity of the buffer zone at the border with Belarus. This zone has been in effect continuously since June 13, 2024. According to the draft, the area where movement is prohibited will remain unchanged.

The Ministry of Interior and Administration has prepared a draft regulation by the Minister of Interior and Administration on the introduction of a temporary ban on staying in a specific area within the border zone adjacent to the state border with the Republic of Belarus. It extends the validity of the buffer zone from September 1, 2026, for another 90 days.

Extending the current rules will positively impact the effectiveness of protecting the Polish-Belarusian state border and increase the level of safety for both officers and soldiers serving in border protection and bystanders, the ministry emphasized.

According to the ministry, such a solution facilitates the services’ operations related to border protection by providing an appropriate width buffer where unauthorized persons are not allowed. The ministry also noted ongoing work on building and modernizing the Integrated Engineering Barrier, representing the second line of physical protection for the land section of the border with Belarus, as well as planned work for the “East Shield” program.

Geographical Scope of the Buffer Zone

The area of the zone subject to the ban will not change compared to the currently applicable area. The draft regulation proposes that the restricted zone covers a border length of 78.29 km, located within the territorial jurisdiction of the Border Guard posts in Michałowo, Narewka, Białowieża, Dubicze Cerkiewne, and Czeremcha.

On a 59.24 km section, the restricted area will span 200 meters from the state border line. Meanwhile, on a 15.26 km section located near nature reserves, the zone will be wider at approximately 2 km, and on a 3.79 km section, its depth inland will be about 4 km.

The proposed restricted area will generally exclude towns and tourist trails so that the impact of the restrictions is as least burdensome as possible for residents, tourists, and other business entities.

Migration Pressure and Border Security

As the ministry explains, extending the buffer zone is linked to ongoing threats along the Polish-Belarusian border section. Despite a 98 percent drop in illegal crossing attempts, threats have not ceased entirely.

From January 1 to July 27, 2026, 287 attempts to illegally cross the entire Polish-Belarusian border were recorded. During the same period in 2025, there were 19,007 attempts.

According to the ministry, the drop in attempts merely shows a shift in vectors and methods by the Belarusian side, moving activity to the Lithuanian and Latvian-Belarusian border sections, which requires maintaining the highest operational vigilance and continuous monitoring of border system tightness. Furthermore, Belarus remains an aggressive state toward EU and NATO member states, supporting the Russian Federation, the ministry added.

The ministry also noted that recently on the Belarusian side, near the restricted area, groups of a dozen or so foreigners have been observed moving along the Polish-Belarusian border.

Another worrying phenomenon is the crossing of the border by unmanned aerial vehicles and meteorological balloons from Belarusian territory, used for both cigarette smuggling and reconnaissance of Polish border infrastructure by Belarusian services.

Exemptions and Authorized Personnel

Provisions of the Law of October 12, 1990, on the Protection of the State Border specify the categories of individuals to whom the ban does not apply.

In justified cases, the commander of a Border Guard post may authorize presence in the buffer zone for a specified time and under specific rules. Such permits can be sought by journalists or members of human rights organizations, among others.

The ban on staying in the buffer zone does not apply to medical rescuers and other emergency services, individuals traveling directly to medical entities to receive health services, state service officers and employees, or soldiers and employees of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland performing official duties.

Criticism from Non-Governmental Organizations

Non-governmental organizations dealing with human rights have repeatedly criticized both the introduction and extension of the buffer zone. Doubts were expressed by organizations such as the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.

The prohibition makes it difficult to provide humanitarian aid to those in need, increases the risk of death or disappearance, and limits the ability to monitor compliance with the law by Border Guard officers and other formations operating in the border area, or to document abuses and human rights violations, it lists.

In its “World Human Rights Report,” Amnesty International also draws attention to the establishment and extension of the buffer zone regarding Poland.