Russians thrown out of Gdańsk. They have not paid for the consulate for many years

Russians have not been paying for the use of the villa at ul. for a long time. Batory in Gdańsk, which houses the Russian consulate in Gdańsk. The city authorities are trying to recover this debt, so far unsuccessfully, although they already have a favorable final judgment in this case.

On Wednesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski announced that he had decided to withdraw consent to the operation of the last Russian consulate in our country in Gdańsk. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that this was a reaction to the latest acts of sabotage on the railways, which took place on November 15-17 on the Warsaw-Dorohusk route. He added, however, that this does not mean breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia. He also emphasized that this “will not be a full response” of the Polish government to the recent events.

The next day, MFA spokesman Maciej Wewiór informed PAP that the facility must be closed by midnight on December 23 this year and its employees must be outside Poland.

The Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Gdańsk is located at ul. Batorego in the Wrzeszcz Górny district. As the spokesman for the mayor of Gdańsk, Daniel Stenzel, recalled in an interview with PAP, diplomats from the Kremlin have been occupying this property since post-war times.

– In 1951, the People's Republic of Poland and the Soviet Union signed an agreement on the free use of this building. After the collapse of the USSR and the establishment of local governments, the building was transferred to the State Treasury. In this situation, the city of Gdańsk became only a collector. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for consulates in Poland, and the Attorney General's Office is responsible for legal matters. Our contacts with the consulate have always been through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained Stenzel.

The Russians didn't pay. A villa as compensation for a palace?

Meanwhile, for the next decades, the Russian side treated the villa at Batory Street as its own property, citing the belief that it was a form of compensation for the palace at Długie Ogrody, destroyed during the war, where the USSR's diplomatic mission was located.

After 2013, when officials began to sort out the issues of ownership and the rules of using real estate, the city received guidelines from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordering the charging of fees for the use of real estate. However, the consulate did not settle any amounts due and did not respond to calls.

– In 2017, when Russians still did not pay any fees, we turned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The then Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the existence of the free use agreement and took responsibility for settling the matter. The new agreement was not signed, the Russians refused. Therefore, the ministry once again ordered us to continue charging rent for non-contractual use of the building, explained Stenzel.

They owe this much to Gdańsk

The city tried unsuccessfully to collect receivables, the total amount of which for the years 2013-2023 is estimated at approximately PLN 5.5 million, and with interest – another PLN 3 million.

Ultimately, the case went to court. As a result, a judgment was passed ordering Russia to pay part of the outstanding fees.

– In March 2025, the first judgment in this case was passed and became final. According to it, the Russians are to pay us nearly PLN 400,000 at the beginning. PLN for the use of the building at ul. Batory. This is the first step in formal debt recovery. Since the entire debt is much higher, a second package of claims is currently being prepared, amounting to almost PLN 2 million, but this will depend on the development of the situation – explained the spokesman for the mayor of Gdańsk.

He added that the city acted at all times in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close cooperation with the state administration.

Stenzel also recalled that three years ago the city took the building at ul. from the Russians. Długa, which functioned as a Russian center of science and culture for nearly 60 years. – It was renovated and today there is a House of Literature there, where freedom of speech and culture are a fact – he emphasized. (PAP)

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