Poland has detained and charged three men – two of them Belarusian and one a Polish citizen – on suspicion of carrying out acts of sabotage, in particular arson, on behalf of Russia.
Separately today, a Ukrainian national was indicted on suspicion of trying to incite espionage on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency by offering a Polish citizen €15,000 to take photographs of military equipment being transported to Ukraine.
Komunikat z działań funkcjonariusz Agencji Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego w ramach śledztwa dotyczącego zorganizowanej grupy przestępczej, mającej za zadanie dokonywanie aktów sabotażu na terenie Polski. Są to kolejne zatrzymania zakończone aresztem https://t.co/PviMKYYEwu pic.twitter.com/EPJg147fJa
— Jacek Dobrzyński (@JacekDobrzynski) May 29, 2024
On Wednesday afternoon, the Internal Security Agency (ABW) announced the detention of the three men, who it said were “suspected of setting fire to facilities in various parts of the country”.
Poland has recently seen a series of major fires, including one that destroyed Warsaw’s largest shopping centre. Prime Minister Donald Tusk last week said that it was “likely” Russia was involved in that latter incident.
Earlier this week, foreign minister Radosław Sikorski announced that Poland was restricting the movements of Russian diplomats on its territory due to Moscow’s involvement in “hybrid” attacks, especially sabotage activities.
Yesterday, prosecutors who were investigating those fires announced that they have charged five people with “participation in an organised criminal group aimed at committing a terrorist offence”. However, it did not identify their nationalities nor specifically mention the involvement of Russia.
Poland has charged five people with terrorist offences in relation to a recent arson case.
It is believed to concern the fire that destroyed Warsaw's largest shopping centre this month, which the prime minister said Russia was "likely" involved in https://t.co/JbhwcYMWhM
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) May 28, 2024
In today’s announcement, the ABW said that the three newly arrested men were the “latest detentions in the investigation into the activities of an organised criminal group whose task is to commit acts of sabotage, in particular arson, at the request of the Russian secret services”.
It identified the men as two Belarusians and one Polish national and noted that, in January this year, a Ukrainian national was also detained as he prepared to set fire to a building in the city of Wrocław.
The ABW said that the suspects have been charged with “participation in an organised criminal group of an international nature and committing acts of sabotage or crimes of a terrorist nature, acting as part of foreign intelligence”. They could face life imprisonment.
Poland is stepping up security at Rzeszów airport – the main transit hub for foreign aid to Ukraine – due to recent cases of sabotage believed to be linked to Russia.
“We are facing a foreign state that is conducting hostile action on Polish territory" https://t.co/38P8SJtSM1
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) May 24, 2024
Separately, this morning the spokesman for Poland’s security services, Jacek Dobrzyński, announced that a Ukrainian citizen was yesterday indicted on “suspicion of provocation, incitement to espionage and making threats against a Polish citizen”.
He was detained in March this year after reportedly using an online messaging service to “encourage a Polish citizen to take part in the activities of foreign intelligence against Poland”.
“This activity was to consist in sharing photos of military vehicles that were intended to help Ukraine and cross the Polish-Ukrainian border”, for which the Pole was to have been paid €15,000, said Dobrzyński.
Fourteen members of a Russian spy network in Poland were given prison sentences today.
The group – most of whom are Ukrainians – was tasked with carrying out surveillance and sabotage, including plans to derail a train carrying military aid for Ukraine https://t.co/hX1cCDW1yc
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) December 19, 2023
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Main image credit: Dariusz Borowicz / Agencja Wyborcza.pl
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
