Signal
Submitted
Apr 28, 2026, 14:21 UTC
Poland closes Russian consulate in Krakow over sabotage accusations linked to a large shopping center fire in Warsaw in 2024.
Polish investigators have held Russian intelligence services responsible for a massive fire in the Marywilska 44 shopping center in Warsaw in May 2024, which destroyed around 1,400 shops but caused no casualties. Following these sabotage accusations, the Polish government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk shut down the Russian consulate in Krakow in May 2025. The fire, determined to have broken out at several locations deliberately, was linked to Russian special services, leading to multiple arrests. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Poland's actions and described them as inappropriate. The Polish Interior and Justice Ministries jointly confirmed extensive findings on the fire's orchestration, with suspects reportedly documenting part of their activities.
Confidence: High
The article clearly attributes a sabotage act (arson) against Polish civilian infrastructure to Russian intelligence services and describes Poland's retaliatory closure of the Russian consulate in Krakow, indicating hostile aggressor activity by Russia.
Source URL
https://tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/polen-konsulat-russland-100.html
Source reliability
F
Info credibility
6
Event time
May 12, 2024, 00:00 UTC
Event time confidence
pm24h
Location
Marywilska 44 shopping center, Warsaw; Russian consulate in Krakow
Primary actor
Russian special services
Country
Poland
Countries
Poland
Tags
Poland, Russia, Sabotage, Diplomatic Closure, Arson, russian intelligence operations