Polish Consulate General officially closed in St. Petersburg

The Consulate General of Poland was officially closed in St. Petersburg. Images from the scene of events are published by Izvestiya on January 8.

The flags of Poland and the European Union (EU) have been removed from the building. The sign at the entrance has also been dismantled.

The last employees have already left the consulate general, the farewell meeting was held on December 17, 2024. Things from the mansion began to be removed a week later, on December 24.

Earlier, on October 22, 2024, the Polish Foreign Ministry decided to close the Russian consulate in Poznan. In this case, the head of the Ministry Radoslaw Sikorski once again accused the Russian intelligence services in attempts to organize sabotage in the country and linked his decision to the allegedly ongoing Russian "hybrid warfare" against Poland and its allies. At the same time, he allowed the expulsion of the Russian ambassador from the country.

Against this backdrop, on December 5 of the same year, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the decision to close the Polish Consulate General in St. Petersburg, calling this step a retaliatory measure to the liquidation of the Russian Consulate General in Poznan. The ministry said it was acting on the principle of reciprocity, according to which it banned three employees of the Polish consulate general from staying in the country and ordered them to leave its territory within a specified period of time.

On the same day, Sikorski said that Poland may close the remaining Russian consulates general in the state. Later, on 13 December, he said that he was ready to allow Ukraine to open a consulate in Poznan, where the Russian office had been closed earlier.