- Category
- Latest news
Defying Warsaw, Russia Clings to Gdańsk Consulate as Poland Prepares Legal Action
- Authors
![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
Russia has refused to vacate the former consulate building in Gdańsk despite a formal order from Poland’s Foreign Ministry to close the mission, Polish outlet RMF24 reported on December 22.
At a press conference on Monday, Gdańsk Vice-President Emilia Lodzińska said the Russian Embassy informed city authorities that an administrative and technical employee would remain at the buildings at 13 and 15 Stefana Batorego Street, where the Russian consulate has operated.
Every article pushes back against disinformation. Your support keeps our team in the field.
As a result, the city cannot physically take over the properties, she said. According to the Russian side, the buildings belong to the Russian Federation and will continue to be treated as diplomatic property, a claim Polish officials reject as false, RMF24 wrote.
Lodzińska stressed that land and mortgage records clearly list the owner of both buildings as Poland’s State Treasury. City officials say Russia’s assertion of ownership has no legal basis under Polish law.
Gdańsk authorities said they are preparing legal action if Russia continues to block the handover. Based on guidance from the Foreign Ministry, the case may be referred to the Polish prosecutor general, who could file a lawsuit on behalf of the State Treasury seeking the release of the property.
According to RFM24, if Poland prevails in court, enforcement proceedings would follow to seize the buildings.
Pomeranian Deputy Voivode Emil Rojek said that after December 23, the property will lose the protections granted under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and may be used by the State Treasury, pending a court ruling.
Legal experts warned the case could take years to resolve. Until a final judgment is issued, Polish law does not allow entry into the buildings, potentially prolonging Russia’s continued presence despite the consulate’s formal closure.
Poland ordered the Russian consulate in Gdańsk to shut down by midnight on December 23 after Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski withdrew consent for its operation on November 19, citing Russian acts of sabotage against Polish railway infrastructure. In response, Russia announced it would close Poland’s consulate in Irkutsk at the end of December, RFM 24 reported.
The dispute also involves long-standing financial claims. Gdańsk officials say Russian diplomats used the building for decades without paying rent, despite fees introduced in line with Foreign Ministry guidelines in 2013.
The city estimates unpaid charges for 2013–2023 at about 1.5$ million, with an additional 835$ thousand in interest. A Polish court has already ordered Russia to pay nearly 111,000$ for part of the arrears.
Previously, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated after talks in Berlin on ending the war in Ukraine that the US, for the first time, indicated that negotiators had informed Washington that it would respond militarily if Russia broke a ceasefire, according to Eurointegration.
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
