The buffer zone, which covers a section of the 78.29 km long border, was introduced to defend the state border and to guarantee the safety of residents of the region. The area is divided into 3 parts: in the 59.24 km section, the prohibited area is 200 m from the state border line, in the 15.26 km section, the region is wider and is about 2 km and in the 3.79 km section its width is about 4 km.
The Ministry of abroad Affairs explained that the buffer region besides guarantees the safety of border guards, police and soldiers who work in the region. The extension of the buffer region is besides intended to facilitate the modernisation of the dam and to reduce the activity of smuggling groups, which is in line with Poland's global obligations.
According to the Ministry of abroad Affairs, after almost 372 days of operation of the buffer zone, the number of attempts to illegally cross the Polish-Belarusian border decreased by about 28 percent. From 13 June 2024 to 1 June 2025, almost 22.5 1000 specified attempts were recorded, while in the same period, before the introduction of the zone, there were over 31,2 1000 of them.
The Ministry of abroad Affairs besides reported that in 2024 the Border defender officers presented allegations of organizing and assisting in illegal migration 597 people, including Ukraine (280), Poland (87), Belarus (50) and Georgia (30). There were 155 people arrested for temporary detention. The Border defender has so far issued 613 permits to be in the buffer zone.
This crucial step towards increased border safety is in line with Poland's global obligations and aims to defend the state border and to guarantee the safety of the inhabitants of the region. The MSWIA ensures that the buffer region will proceed to function until it is no longer needed.
