The Polish consulate in St. Petersburg, which is being closed by the Russian regime, is to cease functioning by January 10. Consulate representatives said goodbye to diplomats and employees on social media and called the liquidation “the most difficult time of the mission.” The closure of the facility is Moscow's reaction to the closure of the Russian consulate general in Poznań. This is how Polish diplomacy responded to sabotage attempts organized by Russia in Poland and allied countries.
“The most difficult time of our mission, i.e. the liquidation of facilities, is slowly coming to an end,” the consulate recalled in a post on Facebook, expressing gratitude to everyone for whom it was “a different world than the one that surrounded (them) on a daily basis” and where it was possible to “implement dreams of a better world or break away from reality for a moment. The consulate thanked “all Polish diplomats for whom this was a place of mission for many years in very difficult conditions”, the consuls representing European Union countries and Poles and Polish diaspora living in St. Petersburg.
“We don't say goodbye forever, see you soon!” – reads the end of the entry.
Russian retaliation
A month ago, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it was closing the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in St. Petersburg as retaliation for the earlier closure of the Russian Consulate General in Poznań. Three Polish diplomats have also been deemed undesirable and are to leave Russia. In a statement posted on the website of the Russian Ministry of Diplomacy, it was announced that the Polish mission in St. Petersburg was to cease functioning from January 10, 2025.
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Formerly the boss Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski recalled that in response to acts of sabotage on the part of Moscow, he decided to close one of the three Russian consulates in Poland. At the end of October, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs withdrew consent to the operation of the facility in Poznań due to Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the Kremlin's hybrid actions towards EU countries. Sikorski said then that the ministry had information that Russia was behind the sabotage attempts in Poland and allied countries.
Sikorski: Russia has no right to react this way
In a statement published a month ago Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that “in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, three members of the diplomatic staff of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in St. Petersburg have been recognized as 'persona non grata' and must leave the territory of Russia” by January 10. The ministry accused the Polish authorities of pursuing “an openly hostile policy towards Russia (which included closing the Russian consulate in Poznań under false pretenses.” Moscow announced that it would respond with “hard retaliation” to any unfriendly steps taken by Warsaw. Minister Sikorski said that Russia had no right to react in this way, because Poland's decision to close the consulate in Poznań was a reaction to Russian sabotage and arson in Poland. “We do not commit arson or sabotage in Russia. However, everyone knows what Russia is like, so this is not an unexpected action,” commented the head of Polish diplomacy.
Main photo source: Google Street View