Poland’s Foreign Ministry advises full travel avoidance to Russia

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel advisory, urging its citizens not to visit Russia due to ongoing hostilities related to the conflict in Ukraine, according to a statement published on the social media platform X.

The ministry explained, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not recommend travelling to Russia due to the war and the Russian Federation's recognition of Poland as an unfriendly state.” It also noted that assistance to Polish nationals in Russia is limited, owing to a reduction in consular staff.

This development follows escalating diplomatic tensions between Poland and Russia. On July 11, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced its decision to close the Polish Consulate General in Kaliningrad. This move was presented as a reciprocal response to Warsaw’s earlier closure of the Russian Consulate General in Kraków. Moscow accused Poland of “unjustified and hostile actions,” specifically citing Warsaw’s reduction of the Russian consular presence on Polish soil under what it called a “far-fetched pretext.”

The closure of the Russian Consulate in Kraków was announced in late May 2024 by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. He linked the decision to suspicions that Russian special services were involved in a fire at a Warsaw shopping centre. Moscow responded by vowing to take appropriate countermeasures.

Russian officials have consistently denied the allegations made by Polish authorities. The Kremlin dismissed claims of Russian efforts to recruit foreigners for sabotage as “baseless” and accused Poland of “inciting Russophobic hysteria.”

At present, diplomatic missions between the two countries remain limited but operational. Russia maintains its embassy with a consular section and a Consulate General in Gdansk, while Poland is represented in Russia by its embassy in Moscow and a Consulate General in Irkutsk.

By Tamilla Hasanova