Poland alleges Russian sabotage and is closing one of Moscow’s consulates
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s foreign minister said Tuesday that he is ordering the closure of one of three Russian consulates in the country in response to acts of sabotage including arson attacks that he said were sponsored by Moscow.
Radek Sikorski demanded that Russia stop what he called hybrid war actions against Poland and its Western allies, warning that Poland reserves the right “to take further decisive action” if they don’t stop.
“As the minister of foreign affairs, I have information that the Russian Federation is behind attempts at sabotage, both in Poland and in allied countries,” Sikorski told reporters in Warsaw.
He said he was withdrawing consent for the Russian Consulate in Poznan, and that its personnel would be unwelcome in Poland. Russia also has consulates in Gdansk and Krakow.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova promised “a painful response to yet another hostile act” in comments to state news agency RIA Novosti.
Sikorski cited the arrest in January of a Ukrainian citizen who he said admitted that Russian agents told him to carry out an arson attack in the city of Wroclaw. The attack was foiled, and the 51-year-old man, identified only as Serhii S., is awaiting a court trial.
Sikorski alleged that about 20 such sabotage suspects are under investigation in Poland, and that he has knowledge of other such arson plans in allied countries.
“Putin must be deterred,” the foreign minister said in an interview Monday on the private TVN broadcaster. “We have other such arson attacks all over Europe, all over Europe, and we know about the Russian plans for further arson attacks.”
The pro-European Union government in Warsaw says Russia is pursuing acts of hybrid war against Poland and other Western countries in retaliation for their support for Poland’s neighbor Ukraine in its struggle against Russia’s invasion.
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