• Poland accuses Russian intelligence of orchestrating a fire at a Warsaw shopping center.
• Polish authorities claim evidence of deliberate sabotage linked to the May 2024 incident.
• Poland closes the Russian consulate in Krakow following the accusations.
• Russia threatens to retaliate, asserting that accusations are unfounded.
• Prime Minister Tusk highlights the involvement of multiple perpetrators, some already in custody.

Poland has accused Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a massive fire that devastated the Marywilska shopping center in Warsaw last year, destroying approximately 1,400 small businesses predominantly owned by the Vietnamese community. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on social media, "We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," which underscores the severity of the allegations against Moscow, according to SCMP, Le Monde, and BBC.

In conjunction with these allegations, Poland's foreign minister Radek Sikorski mentioned that some of the individuals responsible for the fire are already in custody, and others have been identified and are being sought. He noted, "Their actions were organized and directed by a specific person residing in the Russian Federation," emphasizing the coordinated nature of the act of sabotage, as reported by Reuters and Le Monde.

The Polish government has taken further action by closing the Russian consulate in Krakow, escalating diplomatic tensions between the two nations. Foreign Minister Sikorski stated, "Due to evidence that it was the Russian special services who committed the reprehensible act of sabotage against the shopping center," illustrating the seriousness of the reactive measures being undertaken, according to Al Jazeera and AA.

In response to Poland's accusations and actions, Russian officials have denied any involvement and described the claims as unfounded and hostile. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated, "Warsaw continues to deliberately destroy relations, acting against the interests of its citizens," indicating a potential diplomatic crisis ahead, as reported by AA and BBC.

As part of these allegations, it was asserted that individuals were recruited online, potentially using the Telegram messaging service, to execute the arson, indicating a sophisticated level of planning. "We have evidence that they commissioned people living in Poland... to set fire to this huge shopping mall," Sikorski noted, demonstrating the detailed investigation conducted by Polish authorities, according to BBC and Le Monde.