Traffic was brought to a standstill at the border between Poland and Belarus on Tuesday as authorities moved to close all roads between the two countries.

The Polish Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that Minsk sacked three Polish officials after reports emerged that a Polish border guard and two members of the Polish Consulate in the border city of Hrodna had been expelled.

It comes as ethnic Polish journalist Andrzey Poczubut, a critic of Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, was jailed two weeks ago for eight years, a move which has once again stoked tensions between the neighbouring countries.

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Poland’s initial response was to close the Bobrowniki border crossing, one of two direct land routes for trucks and motorists. It has also withdrawn its consuls from the Belarus cities of Grodno and Minsk.

Read more: yahoo