Poland advises citizens to exit Russia following consulate shutdowns

Poland's Foreign Ministry has advised its citizens to avoid all travel to Russia, citing the ongoing war in Ukraine and the Russian government's designation of Poland as an "unfriendly" state.

In an official notice published on the ministry’s website on Monday, February 16, the Foreign Ministry also urges Polish citizens currently in Russia to “leave its territory using available commercial and private means, except in cases where personal, family or professional circumstances require them to remain in the country,” News.Az reports, iting foreign media.

The statement says the ability to provide consular assistance to Polish citizens in Russia is increasingly limited. That stems from decisions by Russian authorities to close Poland’s consulates general in St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad, which has reduced diplomatic and consular staffing.

“In the event of a sharp deterioration in the security situation, border closures or other unforeseen circumstances, evacuation may become significantly impeded or even impossible,” the ministry warned.

Warsaw and Moscow began mutually closing consular offices in the fall of 2024. The last to shut - the Russian consulate in Gdansk and the Polish consulate in Irkutsk - closed at the end of last year. As a result, neither country has consulates general; only their respective embassies in the capitals remain open.

Tensions between the two countries spiked after Poland detained Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin at Ukraine’s request over his excavations in Crimea following Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli