Poland’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Paweł Wroński, confirmed to Polish Radio that the Russian foreign ministry had informed Warsaw of its decision to close the Polish consulate in Królewiec in response to the earlier closure of Russia’s consulate in Kraków. Russian authorities said the post will cease operations from 29 August.
“Poland does not engage in sabotage activities on Russian territory, and therefore we consider the Russian foreign ministry’s actions unjustified,” the ministry said in an official statement.
Officials stressed that the Kraków consulate was closed in reaction to the findings of an investigation indicating that Russian intelligence services were involved in the arson attack that destroyed the Marywilska shopping hall in Warsaw.
In mid-May, Polish authorities withdrew consent for Russia’s consulate in Kraków to operate after security services determined that Russian agents had orchestrated the fire at the Warsaw commercial centre. At the time, Moscow announced it would retaliate against Poland’s measures.
The Królewiec consulate is the second Polish diplomatic mission in Russia to be shut down this year. In January, Poland’s consulate in St. Petersburg also ceased operations.
Poland has adopted the traditional names Królewiec and obwód królewiecki for Kaliningrad and its surrounding region since 2023, as a symbolic nod to historical ties rather than a statement of territorial intent.
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Source: MSZ/IAR