Poland closes Russian consulate in Krakow

WARSAW -- Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced on Monday the closure of the Russian consulate in Krakow, citing evidence that Russian intelligence services were behind a deliberate act of sabotage targeting a major shopping center in Warsaw.

"Due to evidence that the Russian special services committed a reprehensible act of sabotage against the shopping center on Marywilska Street, I have decided to withdraw my consent to the operation of the Consulate of the Russian Federation in Krakow," Sikorski wrote on X.

"We already know for sure that the large fire at Marywilska was the result of arson ordered by the Russian security services," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Sunday.

"We have in-depth knowledge of the order, the course of the arson, and the way it was documented by the perpetrators. Their actions were organized and directed by an identified individual residing in the Russian Federation," according to a joint statement by the justice and interior ministries.

According to the statement, some of the perpetrators are already in custody, while others have been identified and are being pursued.

"Warsaw continues to deliberately destroy relations, acting against the interests of its citizens," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. She added that Russia would soon deliver an "adequate response."

On May 12, 2024, a fire broke out at the shopping center Marywilska 44, damaging 80 percent of roughly 1,400 shops. No casualties were reported.