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🇵🇱 Poland /Elections & Politics

Russian ambassador summoned to Polish Foreign Ministry as Sikorski denounces “Soviet diplomacy”

From Rzeczpospolita · () Polish

Translated from Polish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Poland summoned Russian Ambassador Georgy Mikhno and delivered a formal protest over alleged Russian state terrorism and escalating hybrid operations.
  • Sikorski said Mikhno denied Moscow’s responsibility, despite German and Polish evidence implicating Russian intelligence in suspected sabotage and terror acts.
  • He called for tighter restrictions on Russian travelers and diplomats, including biometric passports, fewer diplomats and limits on their travel within the Schengen area.

Russia’s ambassador to Poland, Georgy Mikhno, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry as Warsaw voiced solidarity with Germany over alleged Russian hybrid operations. Poland delivered what it described as a categorical protest against Russian state terrorism and the escalation of such operations in Poland and other sovereign countries.

Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said Mikhno denied responsibility for Moscow, despite German authorities having suspects and Poland possessing material evidence of Russian GRU involvement in acts of sabotage and terrorism. “That is the nature of Soviet and Russian diplomacy. So there is zero surprise here,” Sikorski said at a Friday news briefing.

That is the nature of Soviet and Russian diplomacy. So there is zero surprise here.

· Radosław SikorskiPoland’s foreign minister described the Russian ambassador’s denial of responsibility for alleged hybrid operations.

Sikorski said Germany was responding to Russian actions by withdrawing permission for Russian consulates and a cultural center that he described as effectively a spy facility. He said he had discussed similar measures at an informal meeting of foreign ministers in Ireland.

They are inherently more vulnerable to recruitment, but also more dangerous, because we know what they do there.

· Radosław SikorskiHe explained his call to restrict Schengen visas for Russian veterans who took part in the war against Ukraine.

The Polish minister backed restrictions on Russian citizens who took part in the war against Ukraine, particularly veterans, saying they were more vulnerable to recruitment and more dangerous. He also called for Russia’s citizens to be required to carry biometric passports and for the number of Russian diplomats to be reduced. Sikorski said there were more than 2,000 Russian diplomats and estimated that at least 40% were engaged in activities inconsistent with diplomatic status.

He also argued that Russian diplomats should not be allowed to travel beyond the countries where they are accredited, saying Russia should not benefit from the Schengen area while trying to destroy the European Union. Germany said Russia was responsible for an attempted drone attack near Leipzig airport the previous month and announced measures including the closure of its consulate and cultural center in Berlin.

Russia, which is trying to destroy the European Union, unfortunately also finds helpers in Poland.

· Radosław SikorskiHe argued that Russian diplomats should face limits on travel within the Schengen area.
About this summary

Originally published by Rzeczpospolita in Polish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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