Poland orders closure of Russian consulate in Poznan and expels 10 employees

Ten employees of the Russian consulate general in Poznan will have to leave Poland following Warsaw's decision to close the consular office, Polish Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.

"Three diplomats and five administrative and technical staff will leave the Russian consulate in Poznan, as well as two employees who were supposed to be accredited in Poland, but they will no longer receive this accreditation," ministry spokesman Paweł Wroński said, adding that the institution's staff may leave the country by early November.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said Tuesday he would order the closure of one of three Russian consulates in the country in response to sabotage, including arson attacks that he said were sponsored by Moscow.

Sikorski demanded Russia halt the hybrid warfare against Poland and its Western allies, warning that Warsaw reserved the right to "take further decisive steps" if it did not stop.

"As foreign minister, I have information that the Russian Federation is behind sabotage attempts both in Poland and allied countries," Sikorski told reporters in Warsaw.

He said he was withdrawing consent to open a Russian consulate in Poznan and that its staff would be unwelcome in the country. In Poland, Russia also has consulates in Gdansk and Krakow.

'Polish diplomats, get ready'

Sikorski cited the arrest in January of a Ukrainian citizen who he said confessed that Russian agents had ordered him to carry out an arson attack in the city of Wrocław. The attack was foiled, and the 51-year-old man, identified only as Sergei S, is awaiting trial.

There are about 20 suspected saboteurs under investigation in Poland, Sikorski said, adding that he was made aware of other similar arson plans in allied countries.

"Putin needs to be restrained," the foreign minister said in an interview with Polish outlet TVN on Monday. "They are undertaking similar arson attacks across Europe, and we know of other such plans by Russia."

The pro-European government in Warsaw has repeatedly said the Kremlin was waging a hybrid war against the West in retaliation for its support for Ukraine against the ongoing Russian full-scale invasion.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova shot back at the authorities in Warsaw by stating Russia would not hesitate in its response.

"Polish diplomats, get ready," Zakharova told the state-run news agency Tass.

Three Polish consulates remain open in Russia: in Kaliningrad, St Petersburg and Irkutsk.