Poland has asked Belarus to extradite two Ukrainian citizens - Oleksandr K. and Yevgeny I. - whom it accuses of railway sabotage in favour of Russia.
According to Polish authorities, the men were to carry out two attacks on the Ukraine-bound railway line, one of which involved an explosion. After the acts, they reportedly fled to Belarus.
The Polish Foreign Ministry has delivered a request for their extradition to the Belarusian chargé d'affaires in Warsaw. Belarus has not yet commented on the request.
The case has further aggravated the tense relations between Poland and Belarus, which have been in a deep crisis since 2022 because of Minsk's stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced on Monday that Poland would soon respond to the explosion
According to Sikorski, the response will not be limited to diplomatic measures but will include additional concrete steps in the coming days.
Subsequently, Poland announced it would revoke permission for the last remaining Russian consulate in the country, located in Gdańsk.
The Kremlin called the move irrational and accused Poland of Russophobia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said relations with Warsaw had completely collapsed and that Polish authorities were attempting to eliminate all diplomatic contacts.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova added, according to TASS, that Moscow would reduce Poland's diplomatic and consular presence in Russia in response to the closure of the Gdańsk consulate.
(reuters, max)
