No one opened the door when officials arrived, the city authorities said on Wednesday.
The building, located on Batorego Street, was supposed to be handed over to the Polish side after Poland withdrew its consent for the Russian consulate in Gdańsk to operate.
Izabela Kozicka-Prus, head of the Gdańsk City Hall press office, said attempts to take over the property were made on December 23 in line with guidelines from Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but city officials were unable to enter the building.
"It is evident, however, that someone remains on the premises," Kozicka-Prus told the Polish Press Agency (PAP), adding that all actions are being carried out in consultation with the foreign ministry.
Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski announced on November 19 that Warsaw had withdrawn consent for the operation of Russia's last consulate general in Gdańsk, citing acts of sabotage targeting railway infrastructure in Poland orchestrated by Moscow.
Under the decision, the consulate was required to close by Tuesday at midnight and its staff were ordered to leave Poland.
Following the announcement, the Russian embassy informed the city in writing that an "administrative and technical" employee would stay in the consulate's buildings.
Russia’s foreign ministry also summoned Poland’s ambassador to Moscow on November 27 and announced that it would close Poland’s Consulate General in Irkutsk on December 30.
Ownership dispute and unpaid fees
City officials said that, according to Poland’s land and mortgage registers, the properties used by the former Russian consulate in Gdańsk are owned by the Polish State Treasury, rejecting Russian claims of ownership as unfounded.
Despite this, the Russian side did not pay any fees for the site, which the city began charging in 2013.
Gdańsk estimates outstanding fees for 2013–2023 at about PLN 5.5 million (EUR 1.3 million), with additional interest of around PLN 3 million (EUR 710,000).
The case went to court, which ordered Russia to pay nearly PLN 400,000 (EUR 94,900) covering part of the outstanding fees.
(ał)
Source: PAP