The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, announced the “withdrawal of consent to the operation of the Russian consulate in Poznań.” He demanded an end to the hybrid war against Poland and its allies. – In the event of a continuation, we reserve the right to take further decisive actions – he announced. In the evening, he said on TVP that if acts of sabotage by Russia are repeated in Poland, the expulsion of the Russian ambassador from Poland cannot be ruled out.
The head of Polish diplomacy said at Tuesday's press briefing that the prosecutor's office presented “strong evidence” that there was an attempted sabotage in Poland, which was behind foreign intelligence. He recalled that recently the Wrocław district court did not agree to the potential perpetrator's voluntary submission to punishment, demanding a higher penalty.
Sikorski informed that, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he had information that he was behind sabotage attempts in Poland and allied countries Russia. – Therefore, I decided to withdraw consent to the operation of the consulate of the Russian Federation in Poznań. Its staff will be considered undesirable persons in the Republic of Poland, he said.
He demanded an end to the hybrid war against Poland and its allies. – In the event of a continuation, we reserve the right to take further decisive actions – he announced.
Sikorski: the expulsion of the ambassador cannot be ruled out
In the evening, Sikorski was asked on TVP Info about the possible expulsion of Russian ambassador Sergei Andreev from Poland. – If we expel the ambassador, they will of course do the same. This has not happened yet, but if acts of sabotage continue, it cannot be ruled out, replied the minister. He recalled that earlier restrictions were introduced on the movement of Russian diplomats around Poland. – So, for example, employees of the embassy in Warsaw can only travel around Masovia, and consuls only in their districts. In order to make it more difficult for them to conduct activities that are incompatible with their diplomat status, he noted.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paweł Wroński, said that according to information obtained from the Polish services, “a dozen or so proceedings are currently underway and approximately 20 people are subject to charges.” When asked what the withdrawal of consent to the operation of the consulate meant, he replied that “the consulate will be closed.” He added that “it will happen in the next few days.”
TVN24 reporter Łukasz Wójcik learned that a total of ten citizens of the Russian Federation who worked in this unit will be considered persona non grata – three consular workers, five technical workers and two other people who came to Poland but will not receive accreditation.
Sikorski: we defend the Republic of Poland, we defend Poles
“Russia is conducting a hybrid war. It is attempting sabotage in Poland. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, it is my duty to react decisively. The first step is to close the Russian Consulate in Poznań,” Sikorski wrote on X. “We will not take a step back. We are defending the Republic of Poland, We defend Poles,” he added.
There is a comment from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Russian Federation has an embassy in Poland, located in Warsaw, as well as three general consulates: in Gdańsk, Kraków and Poznań.
Until the decision Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Diplomacy, Maria Zakharova. She described the move as “another hostile step” and announced a “painful” response.
The Ukrainian was supposed to cooperate with Russian intelligence
At the end of January this year, citizen Ukraine Serhii S. was detained by ABW officers. Two days later, the court decided on his temporary arrest. He planned – as reported by the Internal Security Agency – “to set fire to facilities in the city of Wrocław that are located in close proximity to elements of infrastructure of strategic importance”, he was supposed to cooperate with Russian intelligence.
He wanted to voluntarily submit to punishment and agreed on his own sentence with Wrocław investigators. On October 16, the Wrocław district court took up the case. He did not accept the deal agreed between the prosecutor's office and the accused. According to the court, the imposed sentence of three years in prison is too lenient. According to the procedure, the application for a penalty fails and the prosecutor's office must file a new indictment. An ordinary court trial will be conducted, with witnesses being questioned and all evidence analyzed.
Main photo source: Paweł Supernak/PAP