Poland expels 45 Russian diplomats. This was reported to the Russian ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw. He had been summoned there this morning after the Polish intelligence had prepared a list of names.

According to the Polish Internal Security Service, the Russians use their diplomatic status to gather intelligence that Poland’s stability and security and undermine his allies. Poland said a number of the people on the list of 45 worked for the KGB, and others had close ties to it.

After being summoned to the ministry, the ambassador said there was no basis for these allegations. “Poland decided this unilaterally. They have the right to decide that.” Earlier, it was announced via a Russian news agency that the Russians would take countermeasures if they were deported.

Last April, three Russian diplomats were expelled from Poland. Shortly thereafter, the Russians, in turn, decided to declare five Poles persona non grata. It happens quite often that states expel diplomats, but 45 is an unusually large number.

strained relationships

The expulsion comes at a time when relations between the two countries are very strained due to the war in Ukraine. Poland hosts huge numbers of Ukrainian refugees. Poland and Ukraine share a border hundreds of kilometers long.

Polish President Duda warned in advance this month That if the attack on Ukraine was successful, the Russians might want to enter Poland. It was shortly after Russia launched an attack on a training center in western Ukraine, not far from the border with Poland.

Poland belonged to the Russian sphere of influence for decades after World War II, but that ended after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. Poland then sought rapprochement with the West. The country joined NATO in 1999 and joined the European Union in 2004.