Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on Sunday that Russia was behind the fire at the Marywilska shopping center in Warsaw last year, warning that Poland will continue investigating the matter and hold the responsible individuals accountable.

Tusk stated on X: “We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping center in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services. Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for. We will get you all!”

The fire took place at Marywilska 44 shopping center, greatly affecting the Vietnamese community, who owned a large portion of the shops within. There were no injuries reported as a result of the fire, but nearly the entire facility was burned down. 

The attack followed deteriorating relations between Russia and Poland as the latter continues to support Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine war. Examples of the deterioration of Polish-Russian relations include the closure of the Polish consulate in Russia on January 8, 2025, as Russia withdrew its support. The closure occurred in response to Poland similarly withdrawing support for the Russian consulate due to Russia’s “acts of sabotage” against Poland.

A month before the Marywilska fire, an Ikea store in Poland was also the target of an arson attack. The prosecutor’s office released a report on the arrests over that attack, stating that a Belarusian national named Stepan K. had been arrested for committing the arson attack on the behest of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. The accused spilled flammable liquids in the store and set it alight using a remote control-activated device. He then filmed the arson and posted it to Russian propaganda portals. He was arrested on charges of sabotage for a foreign intelligence service and terrorism. He faces between 10 years to life in prison.