Russia to close Polish Consulate General in St. Petersburg

Moscow, Dec 6
Russia will close the Polish Consulate General in St. Petersburg starting January 10, 2025, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The move was a response to the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Poznan on November 30 by the Polish authorities, the Ministry said on Thursday in a statement.

It added that three diplomats of the Polish consulate have been declared "persona non grata" and ordered to leave Russia, Xinhua news agency reported.

It accused Polish authorities of following an "openly hostile policy" towards Russia in recent years, adding that one of the manifestations of this approach was the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Poznan.

"The Polish side was informed that Moscow has taken and will continue to take tough countermeasures to any unfriendly steps towards Russia," it added.

On October 22, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced that Warsaw decided to close the Russian Consulate in Poznan and expel diplomats for alleged sabotage attempts.

Poland, together with the three other EU member countries in the Baltics, has accused Russia of orchestrating hybrid attacks including "intimidation, the instrumentalisation of migrants, sabotage, disinformation, foreign information manipulation, and interference".

Russia's Foreign Ministry claimed on Thursday that the closure of its Poznan consulate was part of Poland's "openly hostile policy" toward Moscow and efforts to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia.

For its part, Poland warned it would close all the Russian consulates on its soil if the "terrorism" it blames on Moscow carries on.

"If acts of diversion and terrorism continue, I will close down the rest of the Russian consulate presence in Poland," Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters after Moscow announced the closure of its St. Petersburg consulate.