Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has announced new restrictions on the travel of Russian diplomats within the country in response to Russia’s alleged hybrid warfare on EU territory.
Speaking after a meeting with EU counterparts in Brussels on Monday, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that the decision to place Russian diplomats under a more restrictive regime was in response to Russia’s involvement in a hybrid war against the EU, including Poland.
The restrictions will apply to embassy and consular staff, limiting their movement to specific regions. Russian diplomats will be confined to the central Mazowieckie province, while consuls will be restricted to the provinces where their consulates are located. However, these limitations will not apply to the Russian ambassador.
Sikorski added that other EU countries have already implemented similar measures.
“We hope that the Russian Federation will treat these restrictions as a very serious warning signal,” Sikorski said.
Russia will respond in a way that “the Russophobic Polish top brass will be very sorry for,” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in response to Poland’s move. Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency said that Russia views such actions, as that in Poland, as totally unjustified and that it has itself detailed several attempts at interference in internal Russian affairs on the part of Western countries.
The decision to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats in Poland follows evidence gathered that Russia was involved in sabotage on Polish soil as part of a broader campaign across the EU. Sikorski revealed that a man who had nearly executed a sabotage attack in Poland has been arrested, with additional suspects under investigation.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk last week said there was clear evidence of sabotage by Russian intelligence services in Poland, such as arson attacks and violent assaults against individuals.
