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The fire broke out May 12, 2024, in the Marywilska 44 shopping
center that housed some 1,400 shops and service points, a budget
marketplace in a warehouse-like structure in a northern district
of Warsaw. Many of the vendors were from Vietnam, and it
inflicted tragedy on many in Warsaw’s Vietnamese community.
Sikorski announced the closure in a statement published in
Warsaw on Monday morning, exactly one year after the fire.
He also addressed the matter during a visit to Britain, telling
reporters the decision was taken because the Justice Ministry
and Security forces found evidence that Russia had committed
arson.
“This was a huge fire of a shopping mall in Warsaw in which,
just by sheer luck, nobody was hurt. This is completely
unacceptable. So the Russian consulate will have to leave. ...
And if these attacks continue, we’ll take further action," he
said.
Sikorski last year already ordered the closure of the Russian
consulate in Poznan, one of three at the time in Poland, in
response to acts of sabotage including arson attacks that he
said were sponsored by Moscow.
This leaves only one Russian consulate left, in Gdansk.
There are rising concerns in Europe over Russian attempts to
destabilize the region through covert operations. Russia has
denied that it is doing that.
Countries along NATO's eastern flank, like Poland and the Baltic
states, feel especially vulnerable. Lithuania in March accused
Russia of carrying out an arson attack last year at an IKEA in
Vilnius, the capital. Authorities in these countries have been
cooperating as they see that some of the alleged perpetrators
work across borders.
Lithuania's prosecutor general’s office said the suspect in the
Vilnius IKEA fire carried out planning during a secret meeting
in Warsaw to set fire to and blow up shopping centers in
Lithuania and Latvia for a monetary reward.
Sikorski’s announcement followed Prime Minister Donald Tusk
saying late Sunday that Polish officials “now know for certain
that the massive fire on Marywilska was the result of arson
commissioned by Russian services.”
“The actions were coordinated by a person residing in Russia.
Some of the perpetrators are already in custody, while the rest
have been identified and are being sought,” Tusk said on X. “We
will catch them all!”
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