Russia closes Polish consulate in Siberia in tit-for-tat move
Russia has ordered the closure of Poland’s consulate in the Siberian city of Irkutsk in a tit-for-tat response to a recent Polish move against a Russian mission. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the decision came after Warsaw withdrew consent for the Russian consulate in the eastern Polish city of Bialystok. Moscow accused Poland of continuing what it called a hostile and destructive policy against Russia. The ministry said the closure of the Irkutsk consulate was a forced response and signalled that further unfriendly steps from Poland would draw similar reactions. Relations between Russia and Poland have sharply deteriorated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Poland is one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters in the European Union and NATO, supplying weapons, hosting refugees, and pushing for tougher sanctions on Moscow. In recent years, both countries have expelled each […]