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Poland to Close Last Russian Consulate After Railway Sabotage

Moscow says it will cut Poland's presence in Russia in response.

Overview

  • Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said he will withdraw consent for the Russian consulate in Gdańsk, leaving Russia with only its embassy in Warsaw once formal notice is delivered.
  • An explosion over the weekend damaged tracks near Mika on the WarsawUkraine line with no injuries reported, and a separate act of sabotage damaged power lines near Puławy.
  • Polish authorities say two Ukrainian citizens working for Russian intelligence are suspected in the railway attack, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk said they crossed into Belarus after the blast.
  • Sikorski called the operation an act of state terrorism, asserting the intent was to cause human casualties.
  • Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it will reduce Poland’s diplomatic and consular presence in Russia, as relations that the Kremlin described as fully deteriorated continue to worsen; Poland previously shut Russian consulates in Kraków and Poznań after earlier incidents.