According to the statement, Poland’s earlier decision to reduce Russia’s consular presence on its territory under “far-fetched pretexts” prompted Moscow to revoke its consent for the continued operation of the Polish diplomatic mission in Kaliningrad.
The Polish chargé d’affaires in Moscow was formally informed of the decision. The consulate, located at 51 Kashtanovaya Street, has served the Kaliningrad Oblast since its opening in 1992. Its current acting consul general is Janusz Jablonski.
Poland had already sharply restricted consular services at the Kaliningrad mission, only allowing visa applications for spouses and children of EU citizens, individuals holding the “Pole’s Card,” and humanitarian cases. Tourist visas for Russians were entirely suspended.
The diplomatic standoff escalated after Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski accused Russian intelligence services of being linked to a major fire that broke out at a shopping mall in Warsaw on May 12, 2024. Poland subsequently closed the Russian consulate in Krakow. Moscow firmly denied the accusations and vowed a “proportionate response.”
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected claims that Russia is recruiting foreign nationals to carry out sabotage operations in the West. Officials described such assertions as groundless and part of a broader “hysteria of Russophobia.”
