Poland claims Russia hired arsonist for Warsaw shopping mall fire

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - Poland has accused Russia of orchestrating a massive fire at a Warsaw shopping center last year and has closed a second Russian consulate in response to what it called a “hybrid attack.”

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the BBC on Monday, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the country had "evidence" that Russian intelligence services commissioned individuals to carry out the May 2024 arson attack.

"We have evidence that they commissioned people living in Poland, they commissioned them on Telegram and paid them to set fire to this huge shopping mall," Sikorski said, describing the incident as "completely unacceptable."

The fire at the Marywilska 44 shopping complex destroyed 1,400 small businesses, heavily impacting Warsaw’s Vietnamese community. Despite the scale of the blaze, no casualties were reported.

Sikorski added that Russia’s Consulate in Krakow was closed in retaliation.

"We will take further decisions if they continue these hybrid attacks,” he said.

The closure leaves only one Russian consulate operating in Poland, in addition to the embassy.

Warsaw had already shut down the Russian mission in Poznan last year over accusations of sabotage and cyberwarfare.

Asked why Poland had not cut diplomatic ties entirely, Sikorski said: “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

The Kremlin denied any involvement in the fire. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the allegations “groundless” and accused Poland of “Russophobia.”

“These are integral parts of a common chain aimed at curtailing the already deplorable state of bilateral relations,” Peskov said, accusing Warsaw of choosing “hostility and unfriendliness.”