Nine people were recently arrested in Poland on suspicion of acts of sabotage on behalf of Russian intelligence services, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday. “We currently have nine suspects arrested and charged, who were directly involved on behalf of Russian services in acts of sabotage in Poland,” Donald Tusk said in an interview with private television TVN24.
These people are accused of “beatings, arson and attempted arson”
“These are Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish citizens,” he said, adding that sometimes these people were recruited from criminal circles. These people are notably accused of “beatings, arson and attempted arson”, added the head of government. According to Donald Tusk, sabotage of Russian services currently concerns not only Poland, but also Lithuania, Latvia, and possibly Sweden. An international investigation is underway, he said.
Among the examples cited, he mentioned an attempt to set fire to a paint factory in Wroclaw, in western Poland, or even the fire at an Ikea center in Lithuania. He also announced public information regarding sabotage actions in Poland in the coming days. In mid-May, Donald Tusk announced the strengthening of Polish intelligence services following Moscow’s activities aimed at destabilizing the situation in Poland, announcing an envelope of 100 million zlotys (23.5 million euros) intended for civil and military counter-espionage services.
He then also indicated that several acts of sabotage had been foiled, “thanks to the vigilance of our services and our allies”. In recent weeks, Warsaw has announced the arrest of a man suspected of helping Russian intelligence prepare a possible attack against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the Belarusian sponsor of the attack against Leonid Volkov, a close friend. ally of the late Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, in March in Vilnius, and of two Poles who were responsible for the attack.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, Warsaw has been an unconditional supporter of kyiv and the main transit country for Western weapons delivered to it.