Russia vowed to retaliate after Poland expelled 45 Russian diplomats it said were spies

“Poland has expelled 45 Russian spies pretending to be diplomats,” Poland’s Interior Minister, Mariusz Kaminski, He said Wednesday on Twitter. “With complete consistency and determination, we are dismantling Russian intelligence agents in our country.”

Stanislaw Zarin, a spokesman for the Polish security services, told The Post that the 45 people, including individuals known to work in the Russian secret services, along with others, while benefiting from the diplomatic situation in Poland, helped in the work of the Russian secret services.

“Russian services are increasingly on the offensive,” Zarin said He said Wednesday at a press conference. “They are acting more aggressively against Poland.”

The move drew sharp criticism from Kremlin officials, who vowed to respond.

Russia’s ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, told reporters afterwards summoned To the Polish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday that Russia will not suspend official diplomatic relations with Poland. But he said Moscow would respond with measures to expel Polish diplomats. according to Russia’s state-run news agency, TASS.

He said The allegations against the diplomats are unfounded and that embassy staff are doing normal diplomatic and commercial work.

Andreev said that diplomats have a maximum of five days to leave Poland, adding: “They will have to go. This is a sovereign decision on the Polish side, and they have the right to make their own decision.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharvova said Russia would “respond appropriately” if its diplomats were expelled from Poland, according to To the state-owned news outlet RIA Novosti.

Separately, Polish Security Services announce And they had arrested a Polish citizen last Thursday on suspicion of spying for Russia. The Internal Security Agency said the suspect was working at a registry office in Warsaw, Poland’s capital, and had access to sensitive documents.

Biden visit to Poland It was added to his Europe trip itinerary only in the past few days, reflecting the country’s position at the center of the worsening refugee crisis. In Warsaw, he is expected to pledge more US humanitarian aid, discuss the emergency with Polish leaders and potentially meet Ukrainians who have fled their homeland.

Tyler Pager and Ashley Parker contributed to this report.