Poland shuts Russia’s last consulate over railway sabotage
Poland to close the last Russia's consulate in Gdansk (Photo: Dariusz Borowicz/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS)
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced the decision to shut down the Russian consulate in Gdańsk — the last one still operating in the country, Ukrinform reported on Nov. 19.
“I have decided to withdraw consent for the operation of the last Russian consulate in our country — in Gdańsk,” Sikorski said at a press briefing in Warsaw.
He noted that Poland warned Russia multiple times that if it did not abandon its hostile actions toward Poland, the number of Russian diplomats in the country would be further reduced.
The foreign minister added that Russia has not only refused to stop these actions but has intensified them. According to Sikorski, if espionage and sabotage are carried out with the intent to cause casualties, this constitutes “state terrorism.”
Sikorski said Russia will be formally notified of the consulate’s closure within hours. He added that this will not be Poland’s only response to Moscow regarding the railway attacks.
Later, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused Poland of trying to link “any problem” with Russia. Putin’s "mouthpiece" also declared that relations between the two countries have “fully degraded.”
He claimed that Poland is attempting to “reduce diplomatic relations to zero.”
On Nov. 16, Poland reported damage to a section of the Dęblin–Warsaw railway line.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the Warsaw–Lublin rail corridor is crucial for delivering aid to Ukraine, and its sabotage was an unprecedented attack. He said explosives destroyed the track.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said that the incident was a typical sabotage operation associated with Russia’s GRU military unit 29155.
Polish authorities later confirmed that the sabotage on the railway line leading toward Ukraine was carried out by planting explosives.
Rail service was restored on the damaged sections overnight on Nov. 18.
On Nov. 18, Tusk said two Ukrainian citizens suspected of cooperating with Russian intelligence services carried out the railway sabotage.
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