Poland said in October it was withdrawing permission for the Russian consulate to operate, citing Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and hybrid warfare against the West.

Russian diplomats stationed in Poznań were given until November 30 to leave the country. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced on Wednesday that his country had formally requested to use the building as its own diplomatic mission in Poznań.

Earlier this month, Radosław Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister, indicated that the government in Warsaw would welcome such a request. He argued that the existing network of Ukrainian consulates in Poland was insufficient to meet demand from the country’s growing Ukrainian population for services like issuing legal documents, registering births, and handling deaths.

On Wednesday, local broadcaster Radio Poznań reported that a truck bearing diplomatic plates arrived at the consulate building. The vehicle was seen being loaded with furniture and other equipment from the consulate.

By the afternoon, a sign identifying the consulate was removed from the building’s entrance.

The Russian consulate in Poznań was originally established in 1946 under an agreement with the Soviet Union. It closed in 1948 before reopening in 1960 and becoming a general consulate in 1971.