Poland Alleges Russian Involvement in 2024 Warsaw Shopping Centre Fire

Poland's foreign minister asserts that Russia used social media to hire arsonists for a major fire that destroyed hundreds of businesses, provoking a diplomatic response from Warsaw.

In a dramatic turn of events, Poland's foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, disclosed that the nation has gathered evidence suggesting Russia’s involvement in the massive shopping centre fire that occurred in Warsaw in May 2024. During an exclusive interview with the BBC, Sikorski stated that Moscow had allegedly recruited arsonists via the Telegram messaging app to execute the destructive act, which obliterated around 1,400 small businesses, predominantly affecting members of the Vietnamese community in the city.

"This act is completely unacceptable; it was by chance that there were no casualties," Sikorski emphasized. In response to this alarming accusation, Poland has closed one of its Russian consulates, further limiting Moscow’s diplomatic presence in the country. Notably, only one Russian consulate remains operational alongside the embassy in Warsaw, following previous closures due to similar allegations concerning espionage and sabotage.

Sikorski underscored the necessity of constraining Russian operations in Poland, declaring, "We will take further decisions if they continue these hybrid attacks." The term "hybrid warfare" describes tactics employed by hostile powers that involve covert, deniable actions designed to undermine targets without crossing the threshold of open aggression.

The Kremlin has vehemently denied these allegations, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov labeling them as "Russophobic" and unfounded, and asserting that Poland is escalating anti-Russian sentiment instead of seeking amicable relations. This fallout continues to exacerbate the already tense diplomatic relationship between the two countries, especially since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has heightened scrutiny over Russian operations in Eastern Europe.

While Poland continues its investigative efforts into the shopping centre fire, Prime Minister Donald Tusk revealed that some individuals implicated in the attack are already in custody, while others remain at large. Meanwhile, affected workers have reported significant losses, including critical personal documents, as several had opted to store valuables in the shopping centre for safety. A new shopping centre has since opened, providing some relief to traders displaced by the fire, but the ripple effects of the incident continue to be felt across the community.