The Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) quietly posted a notice late on 22 October confirming that all passenger and freight traffic at the Połowce and Sławatycze road crossings with Belarus is "temporarily suspended until further notice." The bulletin, updated again on 23 October, cites "operational reasons linked to public security." These two rural checkpoints normally handle several hundred private vehicles a day and serve as alternative routes when the busier Terespol–Brest or Kuźnica–Bruzgi crossings become congested. Their closure forces motorists onto longer detours—up to 120 km in some cases—adding two to three hours to journeys between Białystok or Lublin and Hrodna or Brest.• Officials have not provided details, but security experts point to the recent surge in attempted irregular crossings organised by Belarusian smuggling rings and to the drone incursions that Polish forces intercepted earlier this month. Suspension lets the Border Guard concentrate manpower and modern EES biometric equipment at the remaining open posts, where wait-times were kept below three hours on Friday despite the diversion.• For exporters, the decision is significant because it removes a relief valve for the heavy truck flow heading to the Koroszczyn–Kozlovichi freight terminal. Freight forwarders told the Polish Chamber of Logistics that they are already paying surcharges of €150–€200 per trailer for guaranteed slots at Koroszczyn. Time-sensitive goods such as pharmaceuticals and strawberries now risk spoilage if back-ups worsen.• Mobility and relocation managers should alert staff and assignees who planned to return to Belarus for family visits during November’s public holidays. The Foreign Ministry continues to advise against non-essential travel to Belarus and reminds Polish citizens that consular aid is limited on Belarusian territory.
