The Shadow War: Poland Closes Russian Consulate After Mall Fire

Poland said it will close the Russian consulate in Krakow after finding evidence that Russia was behind the fire last year that destroyed a shopping mall in Warsaw, Reuters reported.  

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said earlier this week that the fire was allegedly ordered by the Russian secret services, adding that some of the perpetrators had already been detained while the others were still at large, according to Politico. 

On Monday, federal prosecutors pressed charges against two Ukrainian citizens who cooperated with the perpetrators of the arson, the Associated Press reported. 

The fire broke out in May 2024 at the Marywilska 44 shopping center that housed around 1,400 shops in a northern district of Warsaw. No one was hurt in the blaze. 

Now, Russia has about 30 days to close the Krakow consulate, which hosts three diplomats and four other employees.  

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Tomasz Sikorski said that Poland will take further measures if Russia continues to attack Poland. 

Russia denied involvement in the attack and accused Poland of Russophobia. The Russian government on Monday vowed to retaliate. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told state-owned news agency TASS that Poland was “deliberately” cutting ties with Moscow, going “against the interests of its citizens.”  

The already tense relations between Warsaw and Moscow have worsened since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Poland believes its role as a corridor for aid to Kyiv has made it a target for Russia’s sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation – allegations that Moscow denies.  

In October, Poland announced the closure of the Russian consulate in the central city of Poznan after alleged Russian sabotage attempts. In return, Russia closed the Polish consulate in Saint Petersburg. 

Over the past few years, Russia has escalated a “violent campaign of sabotage and subversion” against European and US targets in Europe led by the Russian military intelligence unit, the GRU, especially targeting transportation networks, government, critical infrastructure, and industry, wrote the Center for Strategic and International Studies recently, calling it a “shadow war against the West.”