Poland said on Wednesday it would close the last Russian consulate in its territory and deploy thousands of soldiers to protect infrastructure in response to a railway explosion it blames on Moscow. Poland, a major ally in Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s invasion, says two Ukrainians collaborating with Moscow perpetrated the weekend blast on the Warsaw-Lublin line, which connects Warsaw to the Ukrainian border.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said at a news conference that the first response would be to close Russia’s last operating consulate in the northern city of Gdansk. Warsaw has previously closed Russian consulates in Krakow and Poznan over sabotage acts.
“It was not only an act of sabotage but also an act of state terrorism,” Sikorski told lawmakers. Moscow denies responsibility for sabotage, citing “Russophobia,” and said it would likewise limit Poland’s diplomatic and consular presence in Russia.
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