Polish-Russian relations have continued to spiral toward complete non-existence, and the two sides have long been on the brink of breaking off official relations altogether.
Most of the tit-for-tat actions over the past couple years have focused on mutual accusations of spying. Currently, Poland is threatening to shutter all Russian consulates on Polish soil over espionage and 'terrorism'.
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| St. Petersburg, Russia. |
On Thursday Russia ordered the closure if the Polish consulate in St. Petersburg and told its diplomats to immediately leave the country, in the latest escalation.
"Three diplomatic staff members of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in St. Petersburg have been declared persona non grata," the Russian Foreign Ministry announced.
This move is being described as in retaliation for the prior closure of a Russian consulate in the Polish city of Poznan in the western part of the NATO country. The Kremlin has further cited Poland's "openly hostile policy" toward Moscow as a reason behind the move.
Poland and EU states have accused Moscow of "intimidation, the instrumentalization of migrants, sabotage, disinformation, foreign information manipulation and interference."
As for a potential new response from the Polish government, a statement has warned:
"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.
On the military front, some Polish top officials have recently argued that the country's military should be actively intercepting Russian missiles threatening Ukrainian territory, especially ones that fly close to Poland's border in the region of Western Ukraine.
Poland has generally been among the most hawkish Western allies when it comes to escalating support to Kiev forces in Ukraine.
Poland’s ambassador to the UN Krzysztof Szczerski has compared Russia’s abductions of Ukrainian children to the “worst crimes” of WWII 👇🔗https://t.co/DCAGlDB1Wr
— Radio Poland (@thenews_PL) December 5, 2024
Warsaw has throughout the conflict played host to a build-up of Western weapons along NATO's 'eastern flank' - and Moscow has especially been alarmed that US missiles have been placed in northern Poland in the Baltic Sea region.
