Poland joined the Baltic states and restricted the entry of Russians

Poland has decided to join Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in forming a regional bloc that will restrict Russians from entering their countries, including those holding European Union (EU) visas issued by other Schengen states.

This means that Finland will be the only open land route in the EU.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia agreed this week to limit the entry of Russian citizens into their countries from Russia and Belarus, reports Reuters.

"It is unacceptable that, while people in Ukraine are being tortured and killed, citizens from the aggressor state (Russia) can travel freely within the EU," the Polish government said in a statement, adding that the new measures should come into force by September 19.

Russia has described its actions in Ukraine as a "special military operation" and rejected accusations that its forces committed rights abuses during the conflict.

"The measures are adopted on the basis of the joint reasoning of the protection of public order and internal security, as well as the overall security of our common Schengen area," the Polish government said.

On Thursday, Belarus simultaneously launched military exercises near the city of Brest, near the Polish border, in the capital Minsk and in the northern region of Vitebsk, the Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday.

Last week, Lithuania announced that it had completed a steel wall running along its border with Belarus to stem the flow of migrants.

Tens of thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, tried to enter the country and other EU member states Poland and Latvia from Belarusian territory last year.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on August 29 that EPSO-G construction, the company involved in the construction of the 502-kilometer long steel wall covered with barbed wire, had informed the government that it had completed the work.

The rest of the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, i.e. a part of more than 100 kilometers, lies along rivers and lakes.

Lithuania and other European Union states claim that Belarusian authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko orchestrated the migrant crisis together with his ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Allegedly, it is a kind of retaliation for the sanctions imposed on Lukashenka and his regime due to the brutal crackdown on dissidents after mass protests in August 2020. The presidential election then brought Lukashenko his sixth term.

In late June, Poland completed a similar wall along its 186-kilometer border with Belarus.

Meanwhile, Finland announced plans in June to start building a wall along its border with Russia to prevent Russia's possible use of migrants to create a "hybrid influence" on the country.