Poland orders closure of Russian consulate in Krakow, citing arson attack blamed on Moscow

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said Monday that helium was ordering the closure of Russia’s consulate successful the confederate metropolis of Krakow after Polish authorities said Russia was liable for a occurrence that destroyed a buying halfway successful Warsaw past year.

“In transportation with the grounds that the Russian peculiar services committed a reprehensible enactment of sabotage against the buying halfway connected Marywilska Street, I person decided to retreat my consent to the cognition of the consulate of the Russian Federation successful Krakow,” Sikorski said successful a statement.

The fire broke retired May 12, 2024, successful the Marywilska 44 buying halfway that housed immoderate 1,400 shops and work points. Many of the vendors were from Vietnam, and it inflicted tragedy connected galore successful Warsaw’s Vietnamese community.

The announcement comes amid rising concerns successful Europe implicit Russian attempts to destabilize the portion done covert operations.

Russia successful the past has denied accusations that it is carrying retired specified attacks.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said connected X precocious Sunday that Polish officials “now cognize for definite that the monolithic occurrence connected Marywilska was the effect of arson commissioned by Russian services.”

“The actions were coordinated by a idiosyncratic residing successful Russia. Some of the perpetrators are already successful custody, portion the remainder person been identified and are being sought," Tusk said. "We volition drawback them all!”