Polish Authorities Have Urged Their Citizens To Evacuate From Russia

• 16.02.2026, 21:40

Polish citizens should also refrain from any travel to the territory of the Russian Federation.

The Polish Foreign Ministry has urged citizens to leave Russia in connection with the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine and Moscow's recognition of Poland as an "unfriendly" state. This is stated in an official message on the website of the foreign Ministry. "We recommend Polish citizens living in Russia to leave its territory by available commercial and private means, except in cases when personal, family or professional circumstances require them to stay in the country," the authorities urged.

Polish citizens should also refrain from any trips to the territory of the Russian Federation, except in cases of extreme necessity. "In case of a sharp deterioration of the security situation, border closures or other unforeseen situations, evacuation may be significantly hampered or even impossible," the statement said. Poland's Foreign Ministry stressed that consular assistance may be limited and may require travel to distant consular offices due to the reduction of diplomatic staff in Russia.

Warsaw and Moscow began mutually closing consulates in the fall of 2024. In Russia, among other places, Poland's representative offices in St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad and Irkutsk were halted. Polish authorities closed Russian consulates in Poznan, Krakow and Gdansk. As a result, both countries have no consulates general, only embassies in Moscow and Warsaw are functioning.

The aggravation of Russian-Polish relations was aggravated by a number of sabotage attacks on Polish territory, which the authorities accused Moscow of organizing, as well as the arrest of Russian archaeologist and Hermitage employee Alexander Butyagin. The scientist was detained in Warsaw at Ukraine's request while he was in transit from the Netherlands to the Balkans. Kiev accuses Butyagin of illegal excavations in annexed Crimea.