Russians vacate consulate in Poznań. Ukraine ready to take over the building

"Ukraine is interested in using the premises of the former Russian consulate general in Poznań. I am grateful to my Polish colleague for this suggestion. We have already sent an official note to the Polish side with the relevant request and are awaiting further details," Sybiha said in an interview with the state news agency Ukrinform.

"There are many Ukrainian citizens living in the Wielkopolska region, so we consider Poznań to be one of the possible locations for expanding our consular presence in Poland," he added.

When asked about the transfer of the former Russian consulate building in Poznań to Ukraine, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrzej Szejna said on Wednesday that "it is an interesting and new proposal."

The vacating of the Russian Federation Consulate General in Poznań began on Wednesday afternoon. The building's informational plaque was removed.

Radio Poznań was the first to report the consulate's vacating. According to the station's reports a truck with diplomatic corps registration arrived at the consulate building. Furniture and some equipment were loaded onto the vehicle. The station also reported that the Consul General of the Russian Federation in Poznań, Ivan Kosonogov, bid farewell via a messenger service to Włodzimierz Walkowiak, the long-time dean of the consular corps in Poznań and former honorary consul of the United Kingdom.

After 3 p.m., the truck was still parked in front of the building. The sign indicating that the Russian consulate was located in the building was removed from the entrance. However, the flag of the Russian Federation, hanging above the property, had not yet been taken down, and the Russian consul was still present at the site.

Paweł Wroński, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has not confirmed the final departure of the Russian diplomats from the consulate in Poznań.

Andrzej Borowiak, the spokesman for the Greater Poland Police, said that, according to an agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officers will be guarding the building on Bukowska Street until Monday. "Since the consulate will cease operations as of November 30, the agreement expires on December 1. However, we will remain present until Monday and will also secure any planned protests in front of the building," he said.

Borowiak added that the police had not been informed about the technical details of transferring the building to the authorities of Poznań.

During a meeting with residents of Rokietnica in the Greater Poland Voivodeship on November 16, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that if Ukraine submits a request to use the property in Poznań previously occupied by the Russian consulate and to open its own consular office in the city, the Polish government would approach the request "with the greatest sympathy."

The head of Polish diplomacy also confirmed that the lease agreement for the building will expire at the end of November, and by that time, Russia must vacate the premises. He added that the current network of Ukrainian consulates does not meet the needs, especially given the unprecedented increase in the number of Ukrainian citizens in Poland.

Sikorski explained the decision to withdraw consent for the Russian consulate's operations in Poznań, citing that Russia is waging war against Ukraine and conducting a hybrid war against the West, including Poland. He mentioned that as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he has information linking Russian efforts to destabilize Poland and allied countries.

On October 28, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Paweł Wroński confirmed that Russian diplomats from the consulate in Poznań had been ordered to leave Poland. They must vacate the country by November 30. The Russian authorities must also vacate the consulate building in Poznań by the same deadline .

The Russian consulate in Poznań has a long history. It was first established in 1946 through an agreement between the Soviet Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of Poland (PRL). Its operations were suspended in 1948 but resumed in 1960.

After 11 years, it was upgraded to a consulate general. The closure of the consulate and the expulsion of its diplomats are part of broader tensions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its ongoing actions against Poland and other Western nations.