Poland has blamed Russia for a fire which destroyed a shopping centre in Warsaw. The blaze broke out on May 12, 2024, in the Marywilska 44 shopping centre, which housed 1,400 small businesses and a budget indoor market in a warehouse-like building in a northern neighbourhood of the Polish capital.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said authorities in the country knew “for sure” the fire was the result of an arson attack ordered by Russian special services. He said some of those responsible had already been detained, with the remainder identified and being sought. The Kremlin has yet to comment on the allegations, but has denied previous claims of sabotage in Europe.
Polish officials spent a year investigating the fire. According to the BBC, they concluded that an unnamed person in Russia masterminded it.
In a further escalation, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said on Monday (May 12) that he was ordering the closure of Russia’s consulate in the southern city of Krakow in response to the report.
He said in a statement: “In connection with the evidence that the Russian special services committed a reprehensible act of sabotage against the shopping centre on Marywilska Street, I have decided to withdraw my consent to the operation of the consulate of the Russian Federation in Krakow.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said there would be an “adequate response” to the closure of the consulate.
Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, quoted by Russian news outlet Interfax, said: “Warsaw is continuing to deliberately destroy relations (between Poland and Russia) and acting against the interests of its citizens.”
Mr Sikorski ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Poznan in 2024 amid alleged acts of sabotage, including arson attacks, which he claimed were sponsored by Moscow.
The closure of Krakow’s consulate leaves just one Russian consulate left, in Gdansk.
There are mounting concerns in Europe about Russian attempts to destabilise the region through covert operations. Russia has denied it.
Countries on NATO’s eastern flank have felt particularly vulnerable. Lithuania in March accused Russia of carrying out an arson attack last year at an IKEA in Vilnius.
Lithuania’s prosecutor general’s office said the suspect in the IKEA fire carried out planning during a secret meeting in Warsaw to set fire to and blow up shopping centres in Lithuania and Latvia for a financial reward.