Poland to close last Russian consulate over ‘unprecedented act of sabotage’

Moscow accuses Poland of Russophobia, pledges to respond by reducing Polish diplomatic and consular beingness successful Russia.

Poland has announced it volition adjacent its past remaining Russian consulate successful the bluish Polish metropolis of Gdansk pursuing the targeting of a railway line to Ukraine from Warsaw, blaming Moscow for the incident.

“I person decided to retreat consent for the cognition of the Russian consulate successful Gdansk,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told journalists connected Wednesday.

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Sikorski said helium had repeatedly warned Russia that its diplomatic and consular beingness would beryllium reduced further if it did not cease hostile actions against Poland, Polish quality bureau PAP reported.

The determination means the lone Russian diplomatic ngo that volition stay unfastened successful Poland volition beryllium the embassy successful Warsaw.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk, 2nd right, visits the tract of obstruction enactment sabotage successful Mika, adjacent Deblin, Poland, November 17, 2025 [KPRM via AP]

The Kremlin responded to the allegation by accusing Poland of “Russophobia”.

“Relations with Poland person wholly deteriorated. This is astir apt a manifestation of this deterioration – the Polish authorities’ tendency to trim immoderate anticipation of consular oregon diplomatic relations to zero,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said erstwhile asked astir the consulate closure.

“One tin lone explicit regret present … This has thing to bash with communal sense.”

Later connected Wednesday, Russia’s authorities quality bureau TASS quoted Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova arsenic saying Moscow volition respond by reducing Poland’s diplomatic and consular beingness successful the country.

‘Unprecedented sabotage’

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has described the play detonation connected a enactment linking Warsaw to the borderline with Ukraine arsenic an “unprecedented enactment of sabotage”.

On Tuesday, Tusk told the Polish parliament that the 2 suspects had been collaborating with the Russian concealed services for a agelong time.

As a effect of the investigation, we present cognize it was the Russian Secret Services that commissioned the blast of the Polish railway and recruited 2 Ukrainians to bash it. We besides cognize the identities of the perpetrators who instantly fled Poland for Belarus.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) November 18, 2025

He said their identities were known but could not beryllium revealed due to the fact that of the ongoing investigation, and that the brace had already near Poland, crossing into Belarus.

Western officials person accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and different incidents crossed Europe since the penetration of Ukraine much than 3 years ago, according to information collected by The Associated Press quality agency.

Moscow’s goal, Western officials say, is to undermine enactment for Ukraine, spark fearfulness and disagreement European societies.