Poland expels 45 Russian diplomats, Moscow threatens retaliation

Poland expels 45 Russian diplomats. The Russian ambassador was told this at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw. He had been summoned there this morning after the Polish secret service had drawn up a list of the names.

According to Poland’s internal security service, the Russians are using their diplomatic status to gather intelligence that the stability and security of Poland and undermine his allies. A number of people on the list of 45 are said to work for the Russian secret service and others have close ties with it, Poland says.

The ambassador said after being summoned to the ministry that there is no basis for the allegations. “This was decided unilaterally by Poland. They have the right to decide this.” Earlier it was announced via a Russian news agency that the Russians would take countermeasures if it were to be deported.

Last April, three Russian diplomats were expelled from Poland. Shortly afterwards, the Russians decided in turn to declare five Poles an unwanted person. It happens more often that countries expel diplomats, but 45 is an unusually large number.

Tense relationships

The expulsion comes at a time when relations between the two countries are very tense due to the war in Ukraine. Poland hosts huge numbers of Ukrainian refugees. Poland and Ukraine share a border hundreds of kilometers long.

Polish President Duda warned earlier this month that, if the attack on Ukraine is successful, the Russians may want to push through to Poland. That was shortly after Russia launched an attack on a training center in western Ukraine, not far from the border with Poland.

Poland belonged to the Russian sphere of influence for decades after World War II, but that came to an end after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. Poland then sought rapprochement with the West. The country joined NATO in 1999 and joined the European Union in 2004.

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