Moscow ordered the closure Friday of Poland’s Consulate within the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad in a tit-for-tat transfer as relations between the nations stay strained over a Warsaw fireplace that Poland alleges was Russian sabotage.
Russia’s Overseas Ministry mentioned the newest closure was retaliation for Poland’s resolution in Could 2025 to shut the Russian Consulate in Krakow. “No unfriendly assault towards our nation will stay with out an applicable response and penalties,” the Russian company mentioned.
Poland’s closure in Krakow was in response to a blaze at a Warsaw procuring middle that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has mentioned was arson commissioned by Russian safety companies.
Noone was killed within the Could 12, 2024 fireplace on the Marywilska 44 procuring middle, however it destroyed a market of 1,400 outlets and repair factors, with most of the distributors from Warsaw’s Vietnamese neighborhood.
Russia has denied its involvement within the Marywilska fireplace and different acts of sabotage in Poland that Warsaw officers have attributed to Moscow.
Poland final yr ordered the closure of the Russian Consulate in Poznan, in response to acts of sabotage, together with arson assaults, that officers mentioned had been sponsored by Moscow.
The newest closure leaves just one Russian Consulate in Poland, within the metropolis of Gdansk.
Russian and Polish relations have soured since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2024, with Warsaw staunchly supporting Kyiv and offering support.
There even have been rising issues that Russia is making an attempt to destabilize Europe by way of covert operations throughout the continent.
On Tuesday a British jury convicted three males of arson in an assault on an east London warehouse that was storing gear destined for Ukraine. Authorities mentioned Russian intelligence was behind the plot.
Nations alongside NATO’s japanese flank, like Poland and the Baltic states, really feel particularly weak. In March, Lithuania accused Russia of finishing up an arson assault at an IKEA retailer within the capital, Vilnius, final yr.
