The Russian Embassy blocks the takeover of a building in Gdańsk. What's next for the Russian facility?

The Embassy of the Russian Federation informed in a letter to the Gdańsk city hall that “an administrative and technical employee of the embassy will stay in the current Russian consulate,” said Emilia Lodzińska, vice-president of Gdańsk. The city will therefore not be able to take over the property, she added.

She also announced “legal steps that are provided for in the Polish system.”

On November 19, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, announced that he had withdrawn consent to the operation of the Russian consulate in Gdańsk in response to Russian acts of sabotage against railway lines in Poland. According to information from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, until midnight on December 23 this year. the consulate must be closed and its employees must leave Polish territory.

At Monday's press conference, the vice-president of Gdańsk said that The Embassy of the Russian Federation sent a letter to the Gdańsk city hall, informing that the properties at ul. Stefana Batorego 13 and 15 in Gdańsk – where the current Russian consulate is located – “an administrative and technical employee of the embassy will stay.” Therefore, “we will not be able to physically take over these properties” – added Lodzińska.

– The Russian side considers that the property belongs to the Russian Federation and therefore requests all necessary measures to be taken to ensure the inviolability of the property. – said Lodzińska. She added that – according to the Russian side – the buildings at ul. Stefana Batorego 13 and 15 in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz “will continue to be diplomatic properties.”

She emphasized that “according to what appears in the land and mortgage registers, the owner of both properties is the State Treasury.” – The Russian side's claims that the real estate belongs to them are incorrect and untrue, said the vice-president of Gdańsk.

She announced that the city would take “legal steps that are provided for in the Polish system.” – According to what we received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we know that – in the event of a negative reaction from the Russian side regarding the proposed procedure for the transfer of these properties – it will be necessary to submit a request to the Attorney General of the Republic of Poland to file a lawsuit on behalf of the State Treasury to court for the issuance of these properties, and after obtaining a positive court judgment for the Polish side – to carry out bailiff activities resulting in the takeover of the property – she explained.

Pomeranian deputy voivode Emil Rojek said that after December 23, the property “loses its protected status under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and will be able to be used – of course, after an appropriate ruling – for the needs of the State Treasury.

Cezary Chabel, director of the Legal Office of the City Hall in Gdańsk, said that “the position of the Russian side is incomprehensible.” – The Russian side claims that the property was given away or transferred in exchange for other properties, probably in Gdańsk. However, such information does not appear in letters regarding real estate owned by Soviet Russia, he noted.

He expressed hope that the Russian side would take part in the court proceedings and present its documentation. He noted that Poland does not have such documents.

According to the lawyer, enforcing the Russian Federation to hand over the buildings at ul. Batorego in Gdańsk may take several years. – According to Polish law, no one will enter this building until a final judgment is issued ordering the handover of this property to the Polish party, the State Treasury – he added.

What's next for the building at ul. Batory?

Deputy Voivode Rojek said that no decisions have been made regarding what will be housed in this building in the future. – We are aware that before we make any decisions in this regard, we must familiarize ourselves with the condition of the property and examine it in terms of safety, he said.

November 19 this year The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, announced that he had decided to withdraw consent to the operation of the Russian consulate in Gdańsk in response to Russian acts of sabotage against railway lines in Poland. According to information from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, until midnight on December 23 this year. the consulate must be closed and its employees must leave Polish territory.

In response to the actions of the Polish side, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Polish ambassador Krzysztof Krajewski for a conversation on November 27 and informed about the closure of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Irkutsk on December 30.

At the beginning of December, PAP reported that boxes, packed items and paintings were being removed from the consulate building. There were boxes ready for transport in the garage, and cars with diplomatic corps plates were parked in front of the building. A truck with blue license plates could also be spotted near the consulate.

In mid-December, several people, including Ukrainian citizens, organized a protest in front of the consulate as part of the “Farewell to the Empire” campaign. Its purpose was a symbolic farewell to the Russian diplomatic mission in Gdańsk and a reminder of the war crimes, deportations and attacks on the civilian population committed every day by modern Russia in Ukraine, as well as the imperial appetites of the Russian state, which has become a threat to peace throughout Europe, including Poland.

Russian diplomats have occupied the consulate since post-war times. In 1951, the People's Republic of Poland and the Soviet Union signed an agreement on the free use of the building. After the collapse of the USSR, the property became the property of the State Treasury.

Meanwhile, for decades, the Russians treated the villa at ul. Batory as your property. They did not pay for the use of the building – even though in 2013 the city started charging fees in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The consulate did not settle the amounts due and did not respond to calls.

Gdańsk estimated the arrears for the years 2013–2023 at approximately PLN 5.5 million, and with interest at another PLN 3 million. The case went to court, which ordered Russia to pay nearly PLN 400,000. PLN for part of the overdue fees. (PAP)

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