Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has announced that the country will shut down the last remaining Russian consulate in Gdansk, marking a decisive step in the deteriorating bilateral relations. The closure follows a series of railway sabotage incidents that have disrupted the transport of Western military aid to Ukraine, with Polish authorities attributing these attacks to Russian operatives. In his address to the Polish parliament, Sikorski emphasized that while the closure represents a significant diplomatic shift, Poland remains committed to maintaining diplomatic ties with Russia.
Russian officials have swiftly condemned the decision, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stating that Moscow will reciprocate by reducing Poland’s diplomatic and consular presence in Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the move as irrational, warning that relations with Poland have ‘completely deteriorated.’ He added that Warsaw’s actions to ‘reduce to zero any possibility of consular or diplomatic relations’ with Moscow underscore the severity of the bilateral tensions.
The decision to close the Gdansk consulate follows a series of reciprocal diplomatic closures. In May, Poland closed its Russian consulate in Krakow following allegations of Moscow’s involvement in a 2024 fire at a Warsaw mall. Russia responded in July by shutting down Poland’s consulate in Kaliningrad, followed by the closure of the Polish Consulate General in St. Petersburg in December. Poland had previously closed its Russian consulate in Poznan last October.
The latest incident follows the sabotage of two railway lines used to transport Western military aid to Ukraine. Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that at least one of the attacks involved military-grade C4 explosives, with authorities identifying two Ukrainians as suspects. These individuals are alleged to have worked for Russian intelligence and fled to Belarus after the incidents. However, Kremlin officials have denied any involvement in the attacks, maintaining their stance that Poland’s actions are politically motivated rather than based on concrete evidence.