MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. Russia has revoked permission for the Polish consulate general to work in Kaliningrad from August 29. The decision, which came into effect on Friday, responded to actions by Warsaw, which suspended earlier the operation of the Russian consulate general in Krakow.
Warsaw was notified of the intention to close the Polish consulate in Kaliningrad on July 11, with corresponding explanations given to the country’s charge d’affaires, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported. "Such steps are a reaction to the reduction of the Russian consular presence in Poland under a far-fetched pretext. Not a single unfriendly attack will go unanswered," the ministry said.
The Polish authorities have been consistently limiting the opportunities of Russian diplomats recently. In particular, on May 12, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced the decision to close the Russian consulate general in Krakow, explaining it by the alleged "proven participation of Russian special services" in the arson of a shopping center in Warsaw. No evidence was presented. Russian Ambassador Sergey Andreyev called the accusations unfounded, while Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that Moscow would give an adequate response.
