The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in southern Krakow, according to the Agence France-Presse on the 12th (local time). The Polish government made this decision, citing evidence that Russia was behind the fire at the Warsaw shopping center that occurred last year.
According to Agence France-Presse, Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau said, "There is evidence that Russian intelligence agencies carried out a shameful sabotage against the Maribilska shopping center, so we decided to revoke the permission for the activity of the Russian consulate in Krakow."
A fire broke out at the Maribilska shopping center in May last year. All 1,400 stores located there were burned down, most of which were owned by residents of Vietnamese descent. Polish authorities conducted an investigation and concluded the fire was caused by orders from the Russian special forces.
The Polish Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior stated through a separate explanation that some of the suspects have been detained, and they are pursuing other suspects who are on the run.
The Polish government believes that since Russia invaded Ukraine, there have been activities involving assaults and arson, primarily by intelligence agencies within Poland. In May last year, it restricted the movement of Russian diplomats in Poland, and in October, it issued a closure order for the Russian consulate in Poznań in western Poland. With the closure of the Krakow consulate, only the consulate in Gdańsk remains in Poland.
In January, Russia closed the Polish consulate in Saint Petersburg as a retaliatory measure. Russia has warned Poland of an "appropriate response" regarding the closure of the Krakow consulate.