Russia Closes Polish Consulate in Escalating Diplomatic Spat
- Closure of St. Petersburg mission is retaliation, Russia says
- Three Polish diplomats expelled, consulate to shut by Jan. 10
The Polish consulate in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2015.
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Russia ordered the closure of Poland’s consulate in St. Petersburg and told three diplomats to leave the country as part of an escalating diplomatic confrontation.
The Foreign Ministry in Moscow said in a statement on Telegram that it was acting in retaliation for the closure of its consulate in Poznan, as part of what it called an “openly hostile” policy toward Russia by Polish authorities. The St. Petersburg consulate must cease operations by Jan. 10, and the three diplomats have to leave Russia before that date, the ministry said.