The Polish Consulate in St. Petersburg, which was closed by the Russian regime, must cease its activities by January 10. Consular officials took to social media to say goodbye to diplomats and staff, calling their termination “the most difficult period of the mission.” The closure of this institution is Moscow’s response to the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Poznan. This is how Polish diplomacy responded to Russia’s sabotage efforts in Poland and allied countries.
“The most difficult period of our mission, the dismantling of the facility, is slowly coming to an end,” recalled the consulate in a post on Facebook, thanking everyone who made it “another world from the world around us (“them) on a daily basis. ” and there it was possible to “realize the dreams of a better world or get away from reality for a moment. The consulate expressed its gratitude to “all Polish diplomats, who have been represented for many years in very difficult conditions”, to the consuls of the European Union countries and the Polish diaspora and Poles living in St. Petersburg.
– We will not say goodbye forever, we will meet soon! – reads the end of the text.
Russia’s answer
A month ago, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had closed the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in St. Petersburg in retaliation for the previous closure of the Russian Consulate General in Poznan. Three Polish diplomats are also considered undesirable persons and must leave Russia. In a statement published on the website of the Ministry of Diplomacy of Russia, it was announced that the mission of Poland in St. Petersburg will cease its activities on January 10, 2025.
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Earlier, Radoslaw Sikorski, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, mentioned that in response to Moscow’s subversive actions, he decided to close one of the three Russian consulates in Poland. At the end of October, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs withdrew the approval for the operation of this facility in Poznań due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the Kremlin’s hybrid actions towards EU countries. Sikorski later said that the ministry has information that is behind the sabotage efforts in Poland and allied countries Russia.
Sikorsky: Russia has no right to react like this
In a statement published a month ago, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “based on the principle of reciprocity, three diplomatic employees of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in St. Petersburg have been declared ‘non-persons grata’ and must leave Russia by January 10.” to leave”. The ministry accused the Polish authorities of pursuing a “clearly hostile policy towards Russia (including closing the Russian consulate in Poznan under false pretenses”). Moscow has announced that it will respond to any unfriendly move by Warsaw with “severe retaliation”. Minister Sikorski said that Russia has no right to react in this way because of Poland’s decision to close the consulate in Poznan. is a response to Russian sabotage and arson in Poland. “We don’t do arson or sabotage in Russia. However, everyone knows what Russia is like, so this is not an unexpected act,” explained the head of Polish diplomacy.
Main image source: Google Street View
