The Ministry of Foreign Affairs closes the Russian consulate in Krakow. Russia: It destroys our relationships

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski announced on Monday that he decided to withdraw its consent to the Consulate of the Russian Federation in Krakow. The decision is related to evidence of the participation of Russian special services in the arson of the shopping center at Marywilska.

Targowa Hall at ul. Marywilska 44 in Warsaw burned down on May 12 last year. There were about 1.4 thousand shops and service outlets. On Sunday evening, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that “a fire at Marywilska was the result of arson on behalf of Russian services.” “The actions were coordinated by a person staying in Russia. Some perpetrators are already in custody, the rest have been identified and are sought after. We will get everyone” – he declared.

On Monday morning, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed about the decision on the withdrawal of consent to the Russian consulate in Krakow. “In connection with the evidence that it was the Russian special services that made a shameful act of diversion towards the shopping center at Marywilska, I decided to withdraw consent to the consulate of the Russian Federation in Krakow,” wrote Sikorski on Platform X.

I have a message to the Russian authorities: we know what you are doing, we do not accept it and we draw the consequences.
I remind you – after the previous act of diversion, I closed the Russian consulate in Poznań. pic.twitter.com/go5halzgub

– Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) May 12, 2025

At the later briefing in London – where the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stays on Monday – Sikorski said that this Russian action was “outrageous, but not surprising.” He reminded that earlier – after a previous act of subversive in Poland, i.e. an attempt to set fire to the paint factory in Wrocław – closed the Russian consulate in Poznań.

“The Russian consulate will have to be closed, they have one more. If these attacks will continue, we will take further action,” said Sikorski.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that in the case of a fire at Marywilska “no one was killed”, so this is not the behavior that Poland can tolerate. “Poland and Western democracies do not make acts of subversions in Russia, so Russia does not even have the right to proportional behavior, despite the fact that we expect it to perform them” – he noted.

Sikorski noticed that there are still over 2,000 in the EU. Russian diplomats. “And I do not see that there are many Russian tourists in Krakow now, a large part of Russian diplomats in the EU perform tasks that do not comply with the status of a diplomat,” he said.

Reminded that Poland has already limited the possibility of moving Russian diplomats – Those from the embassy to the Mazovia area, and consular employees to their consular districts. “This is another message to the Russian authorities: +We know what you are doing, we do not accept it and draw the consequences +” – said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

That is why he once again appealed “to his colleagues from the EU to do what Poland and the Czech Republic, i.e. limit the right to move Russian diplomats to countries in which they are accredited, and preferably more than the knot.” The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that the purpose of such action would be to “hinder them to service agent in other member countries”.

Adam Bodnar and Tomasz Siemoniak informed about the involvement of Russia in setting a shopping center on fire in the shopping center.

“On the basis of the evidence gathered, we know that the fire was the result of arson at the request of the Russian special services. We have deepened knowledge about the order and the course of the arson and the way it is documented by the perpetrators. Their actions were organized and directed by a fixed person staying in the Russian Federation. Some perpetrators are already in custody, the others are identified and sought. Prosecutor, police, police and the Internal Security Agency continue investigating and operational activities aimed at taking them, “they said.

Minister Sikorski: You have to put pressure on the aggressor to abandon his goals in Ukraine

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski emphasized on Monday in London that Ukraine has good will regarding the conclusion of a truce and Russia invents new reasons to continue to attack the neighboring country. As the West, we must draw from this conclusions that you need to put pressure on the aggressor to give up his goals in Ukraine – he added.

Sikorski flew to London to a meeting of the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the so -called Holy Friday, i.e. France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain, as well as Great Britain and the EU. The deliberations will be devoted to support for Ukraine and strengthening of Euro -Atlantic ties.

The head of Polish diplomacy emphasized during a press briefing that the meeting in London took place two days after the conversations of European leaders in Kiev. “We agreed that we would continue our benefit for peace, we agreed that the parties would look for a way to suspend weapons (…) effective negotiations to end this war and respect international law,” he added.

“I am here on behalf of the Prime Minister (Donald) Tusk, I hope to specify with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (Andrija Sybiha) what must happen. First of all, what the Russian Federation must do to make this war end” – said Sikorski.

He added that Ukraine shows good will and over a month ago the President of Ukraine accepted unconditionally 30-day ceasefire, and Russia invents reasons why he wants to continue attacks on Ukraine. “As the West, we must draw from this conclusions that it is the aggressor that you need to put pressure to give up his goals in Ukraine, because they are impossible,” said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He pointed out that the Russian leader Vladimir Putin devotes tens of thousands of soldiers to take one village or two in Ukraine. “It would be reasonable to end this unfortunate, criminal war, but Mr. Putin is not reasonable,” said Sikorski.

He noted that if Putin rejects the proposal to suspend a weapon again, “the logical conclusion will be that pressure should be exerted not only on the victim of aggression, but also on the perpetrator of this aggression until he felt this pain and wisely.”

Fire of Hala Targowa at Marywilska

Fire of Hala Targowa at Marywilska in May last year Almost from the beginning, he aroused in public space suspicion of Russia's involvement, especially in the context of a number of other fires that occurred at that time throughout the country, as well as, for example, in Lithuania, where the IKEA store was set on fire in Vilnius. The Lithuanian prosecutor's office informed in March this year that in the case of arson, a citizen of Ukraine was recruited by Russian military intelligence GRU.

The day after the Hall's fire at Marywilska, the National Prosecutor's Office began the investigation – as the spokesman of the PK Prosecutor Przemysław Nowak informed – “in the case of bringing an event threatening property in great size in the form of fire.”

The inspection of the Pogorzeliska at Marywilska began on July 30, 2024 – immediately after the building supervision decision enhanced the demolition of the burned hall. In total, from July to November 28, 2024, 55 prosecutors and 100 policemen took part in the inspection. At the same time, 6 inspection groups worked at the same time, which included prosecutors, policemen, technicians, experts from the Fire Academy in Warsaw and machine operators.

In addition to the embassy in Warsaw, the Russian Federation had a consulate in Poznań, Gdańsk and Krakow until recently. The decision to withdraw its consent to the Consulate's activities in Poznań – also in response to hostile Russian hybrid activities – the head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs took up in October last year. After closing the consulate in Krakow, the Russian consulate in Gdańsk (PAP) will remain

MML/ WINI/ MOK/ KOS/ AP/ LM/