A man rides a bicycle in front of the Russian Embassy building in Warsaw, Poland March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
March 24 – Russia on Thursday accused Poland of trying to destroy bilateral ties by expelling 45 of its diplomats and said it would respond harshly.
The Russian ambassador said Poland, which said on Wednesday it had expelled the diplomats on suspicion of working for Russian intelligence, also blocked the embassy’s bank accounts.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the expulsions were “a deliberate step towards the final destruction of bilateral relations, which our Polish ‘partners’ have been systematically dismantling for a long time.”
It added: “Russia will not leave this enemy attack without a response, which will make the Polish provocateurs think and hurt them.”
Relations between Russia and Central European countries that were once part of its sphere of influence have long been strained, but the Ukraine conflict has significantly increased fear and suspicion of Moscow’s intentions.
Russia on Wednesday condemned what it called a ruthless proposal by NATO member Poland to send armed international peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.
Russian Ambassador to Warsaw Sergei Andreyev said the embassy’s bank accounts had been blocked on the grounds that they could be used for money laundering or terrorist financing.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said: “All I can say in general terms is that we have been dealing with the freezing of Russian Federation funds.”
Reporting by Reuters