Poland announced Wednesday that it will close Russia’s consulate in Gdansk after an explosion damaged a key rail link that connects Warsaw with the Ukrainian border. Warsaw blamed Moscow for the incident and said it marked another escalation in hostile activity targeting the country.
Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the government had withdrawn permission for the consulate to operate, leaving Russia with only its embassy in Warsaw. “I have decided to withdraw consent for the operation of the Russian consulate in Gdansk,” he told reporters, adding that Poland had repeatedly warned Moscow its diplomatic footprint would shrink if hostile actions continued.
The Kremlin rejected the accusation and said Poland was acting out of political animosity. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, said relations between the countries had “completely deteriorated” and that Warsaw was pushing contacts “to zero.”
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“One can only express regret here. This has nothing to do with common sense,” Peskov said in comments carried by Russian state media.
Later in the day, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russia’s TASS news agency that Moscow would respond by cutting Poland’s own diplomatic presence in Russia.
The consulate closure followed a weekend explosion on a line connecting Warsaw to Ukraine. Prime Minister Donald Tusk described it as an “unprecedented act of sabotage” that targeted one of Poland’s most important routes for moving supplies toward Kyiv.
Tusk said two suspects had been identified, though he declined to release their names due to the ongoing investigation. He added that the pair had already crossed into Belarus, a close Russian ally.
Investigators have not released additional details, but Polish officials have repeatedly warned of attempts to disrupt transport corridors that support Ukraine’s defense effort.
Western intelligence services have documented dozens of suspected sabotage attempts, arson cases, and other covert operations across Europe since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago. According to data reviewed by the Associated Press, these incidents have targeted infrastructure, logistics hubs, and political institutions in several EU and NATO countries.
Officials in Europe say the goal is to weaken support for Ukraine, create uncertainty, and exploit divisions inside allied societies.
