Russia demands Poland apology over embassy attack

Russia has demanded an official apology from Polish authorities after its embassy in Warsaw came under attack during an event on Poland’s Independence Day.

“We demand that the Polish authorities offer an official apology, take exhaustive measures to maintain security and facilitate the normal operations of all of Russia’s diplomatic missions in Poland, compensate for the damage caused, punish those guilty and prevent similar provocations in the future,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday

The ministry described the Monday attack in the Polish capital as “a very serious violation by Poland’s authorities of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”

The Polish Ambassador to Moscow Wojciech Zajaczkowski was summoned to convey Russia’s concern over the disturbances on Poland’s Independence Day to the country’s authorities.

“The ambassador’s attention was drawn to the passive and belated response given by the [Polish] police, a circumstance which made these riots by young roughnecks possible to a large extent,” said the ministry.

Right-wing nationalists were accused of throwing firecrackers and objects toward the Russian Embassy building, damaging three cars and a number of other assets including a guard’s booth, said press officer Valeria Perzhinskaya from Russian Embassy in Poland.

“A thousand-strong crowd of aggressive participants in the so-called Independence March caused financial damage to the diplomatic mission and disrupted its normal operations for several hours, effectively paralyzing its work,” the Russian Foreign Ministry added.
On Tuesday, Polish authorities said they had arrested 72 nationalists linked to the riots.

Meanwhile, Polish Interior Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz expressed deep regret over the attack on the Russian Embassy.

“Nothing of the kind has ever happened in Poland before. It is an outrage. There have been many manifestations over the past 24 years, including near the Russian Embassy. But no attacks have ever been made on the embassy of a neighboring state,” Sienkiewicz said.