Russians refuse to vacate the consulate in Gdańsk despite an order from the Polish Foreign Ministry The Russian embassy claims the villa will house an administrative-technical staff member, making it “impossible” to hand over the building to the city. Pomorskie authorities respond that Russia has no perpetual-use rights. The property belongs to Poland. The USSR used the villa on Batory Street rent-free under a 1951 agreement, but after the Soviet Union’s collapse, ownership passed to the Polish state. Russia failed to pay rent for years, accumulated huge debts, and lost a court case requiring it to pay nearly 400,000 zlotys toward the arrears. The consulate was closed following sabotage on the railway between Lublin and Warsaw, yet it seems no one is planning to leave.