Warsaw. The town hall took over the building of the Russian school at Kielecka Street

On Sunday, the capital’s authorities took over the building at 45 Kielecka Street, which was occupied by the Russian embassy – in the opinion of the Polish state – illegally. On a daily basis, there was a Russian high school in it, where the children of diplomats and military men studied. The bailiff action was carried out at the request of the city, submitted in consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

– Men in reflective vests with the inscription “information service” are standing in front of the gate. They have badges on their chests with the inscription “On behalf of the Capital City of Warsaw”. I heard from them that it was about bailiff execution. The police are also on site, Mateusz Szmelter from tvnwarszawa.pl reported in the afternoon.

As our reporter added, after 2 p.m. a truck from the embassy arrived. Items from the school were packed. The TVN24 reporter reported that one such load had already left earlier.

The Warsaw Police Headquarters and the capital city hall did not comment on the case. Łukasz Jasina, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the takeover of the property by the Polish Press Agency.

– The bailiff’s takeover takes place at the request of the Capital City of Warsaw, submitted in full agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the basis of a court judgment granting the Polish state the right of ownership of this building, which has been illegally held by the Russian embassy for years – Jasina explained.

A ministry spokesman noted that the property had no diplomatic status. – This is simply the recovery of State Treasury property, having no connection with the Vienna Convention. The bailiff’s execution is being carried out today. It will be carried out until the end. According to the information I have, it runs smoothly at 12 o’clock – he added.

In the evening, the mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, wrote about the end of the action in social media.

“We have taken over another building illegally occupied by the Russian Federation. The bailiff has just finished his activities at 45 Kielecka Street. We will urgently apply to the Mazowieckie Voivodship for entrusting the property of Miasto Stołeczne Warszawa” – he announced. And he revealed what plans the city has for real estate. “We want to use the building for educational purposes – from the coming school year, in which we will face difficulties resulting from the accumulation of years. FR at 45 Kielecka Street ran a high school for the children of Russian diplomats,” wrote Trzaskowski.

He confirmed that the object had no diplomatic status. “Over the years, representatives of the city and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have made a number of attempts to regulate the legal status of the property. Unfortunately, the Russian side has not decided to hand it over voluntarily. payment of over PLN 31 million with interest for unlawful occupation of Kielecka 45” – he reminded.

Finally, he thanked “the bailiff, security staff and officers for their help in the efficient takeover of the facility”.

Already in March 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that it had applied to the competent public administration authorities, recommending the initiation of enforcement proceedings regarding two properties not used for diplomatic and consular purposes and illegally owned by the Russian Federation.

Outside the building at 45 Kielecka Street, it was the so-called Spy on ul. Sobieskiego 100. The city took over a year ago. In both cases, final judgments of Polish courts were issued regarding the issue of real estate to the State Treasury.