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The Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has announced the decision to close the last remaining Russian Consulate-General in Poland, located in Gdansk. That follows decisions made in October 2024 and May 2025, when Poland closed the Russian consulates in Poznan and Krakow.
Polish trade with Russia has been growing. In 2021, bilateral trade had risen to just over €2 billion, with Polish exports to Russia increasing that year by 22.8% – trade has been booming and reached €4.85 billion in 2024. Polish exports to Russia increased to €2.96 billion. Normally, this would be a sign that diplomatic contacts should be increased, not downsized, and is illustrative of significant divides between the Polish business and political communities in the country as concerns attitudes towards Russia. The Polish government is not supportive of its own businesses trade with Russia, despite this being a three-billion-euro growth market.
However, Poland’s exit is being replaced by Indian entry. India has opened two more consulates in Russia, with the Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar saying that they would help reach the target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin to raise the annual bilateral trade to US$100 billion.
Jaishankar declared the Consulate General of India in Yekaterinburg and the Consulate General of India in Kazan open at an event in Moscow earlier this week, stating that “Yekaterinburg is often called the third capital of Russia due to its industrial importance and is the gateway to Siberia. Known for its heavy engineering, gem-cutting, defence manufacturing, metallurgy, nuclear fuel, chemicals and medical equipment, the region hosts one of the most prominent international economic forums in Russia, such as INNOPROM.”
He noted that the Yekaterinburg Consulate would give impetus to efforts for enabling and strengthening the technological, scientific, economic and trade collaboration between Indian and Russian industries and their respective businesses.
The Indian Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar said “We have very deep and extensive potential to cooperate; no wonder when we decided to expand our diplomatic presence in Russia, Kazan was one of the first places to choose for the consulate.”
Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan and is home to large companies such as oil major Taneft and its Taneco refinery and truck and heavy vehicle manufacturer Kamaz, as well as a booming IT industry. Russia is looking to position the republic as a hub for new logistics routes, mutual investments, and digital solutions. Indian investors have already entered the local market, and Kazan and the Tatarstan Republic could also be primary target markets for certain Muslim Indian products, such as local halal items that the local market does not provide.
Kazan is one of Russia’s leading centers of science and education, with Kumar saying “There are currently 1,167 Indian students studying at Kazan universities. We see great potential in developing academic and scientific cooperation between our countries.”
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