Poland detains Ukrainian citizen over alleged Russian sabotage plot

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Ukrainian citizen allegedly working for Russian intelligence services as part of a sabotage campaign was detained in Poland, the country’s top prosecutor said on Tuesday.

Prosecutors said individuals “acting on behalf of the Russian intelligence services” were allegedly preparing acts of sabotage involving “the sending of shipments containing explosives and incendiary materials to Ukraine”, which were intended to “spontaneously combust or explode during transport.”

The goal of the sabotage action, Polish prosecutors said, was to intimidate populations and destabilize EU countries supporting Ukraine.

Two more Ukrainian citizens suspected of taking part in the same scheme were detained in Romania, Polish prosecutors said.

The Ukrainian citizen in Poland was one of eight individuals detained by authorities in recent days on suspicion of preparing acts of sabotage in various locations across the country, a spokesperson for the National Prosecutor’s Office said.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted about the detention of the eight people on X on Tuesday morning.

Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s minister coordinating special services, wrote on X that the actions Tusk referred to involved “conducting reconnaissance of military facilities and critical infrastructure, preparing resources for sabotage, and directly carrying out attacks.”

Polish authorities have detained dozens of people over suspected sabotage and espionage since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Last month prosecutors in Poland’s Baltic neighbor, Lithuania, said that they uncovered and detained a Russia-linked network of suspects who are alleged to have planned and organized arson attacks in various European countries.

Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, according to data collected by The Associated Press.

The incidents range from stuffing car tailpipes with expanding foam in Germany to a plot to plant explosives on cargo planes. They include setting fire to stores and a museum, hacking that targeted politicians and critical infrastructure, and spying by a ring convicted in the U.K.