Tension grows between Poland and Russia: Warsaw to close Russian consulate in Krakow
The decision was made after the Polish government accused Moscow of perpetrating the fire that destroyed a shopping mall in Warsaw in May 2024.
Donald Tusk, prime minister of Poland
Poland announced on Monday that it will close the Russian consulate in the city of Krakow after accusing Moscow of intentionally setting fire to a shopping center in Warsaw in May 2024.
According to the announcement, made by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, there is evidence linking Russia to the fire at the Marywilska 44 complex, which was completely destroyed due to the incident.
The decision by Polish authorities comes amid growing tensions between Russia and Poland, whose relationship has deteriorated significantly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Warsaw has accused Moscow of carrying out a series of acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation against Poland because of Polish support for Ukraine. However, the Russians deny these claims.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk asserted on Sunday that his country is certain that Russian secret services carried out the fire at the shopping mall.
In addition, Poland's Interior and Justice Ministries announced in a statement issued Sunday that some of the culprits are in custody and that they know the identities of other suspects who have not yet been captured.
Moscow's response
In response to Warsaw's accusations, Maria Sharapova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, took aim at the Polish authorities, whom she accuses of deliberately destroying relations between the two countries and acting against the interests of their own citizens. It added that Moscow will soon respond in an "appropriate" manner.
Later, the Polish Foreign Ministry reported that it summoned the Russian ambassador to Warsaw for talks on the recent tensions between the two countries.
Other consulate closures
This is not the first time that the Polish government has decided to close a Russian consulate, as last October it did so with the Russian diplomatic delegation located in Poznan. In response, Moscow closed the Polish consulate in St. Petersburg.
Lithuania also takes aim at Russia
Lithuania accused Russia last March of perpetrating the arson attack on a branch of the IKEA furniture store chain in Viln, the country's capital.
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