ABW: a Pole and two Belarusians were arrested in Poland on suspicion of preparing sabotage on instructions from Russian intelligence

In Poland, employees of the Internal Security Agency (ABW) arrested a Pole and two Belarusians in connection with the preparation of sabotage on behalf of Russian intelligence.

According to the Polish prosecutor's office, employees ABW The accused were detained on May 27 in Warsaw and the city of Pruszkow. They are charged with participation in an organized international criminal group, as well as committing sabotage or crimes of a terrorist nature on instructions from foreign intelligence.

According to the department, the three arrested were members of a criminal group whose tasks included committing sabotage, including arson, on instructions from the Russian special services. They face punishment up to life imprisonment.

Newspaper Rzeczpospolita writesthat those arrested are accused of collaborating with Russian military intelligence. They tried to set fires at sites in Gdańsk, Gdynia and Marki for rewards. They are also linked to a Ukrainian arrested at the end of January, who is accused of planning the arson of a shopping center in Wroclaw and a store next to a gas station. For each arson, the publication clarifies, the accused were to receive 10 thousand euros.

In the spring of 2023, Polish intelligence services reported the detention of more than ten people on suspicion of spying for Russia. Gazeta Polska wrotethat the detainees planned to blow up a train with weapons and transport with humanitarian aid for Ukraine. At least nine more people were arrested in mid-May 2024 on charges of sabotage ordered by the Russian special services. Among those detained and arrested were citizens of the Russian Federation, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal wrote that the authorities not only in Poland, but also in other European countries increasingly suspect the Russian Federation of involvement in sabotage at critical infrastructure facilities. However, as a rule, they cannot find convincing evidence to directly accuse the Kremlin, the publication noted.

Source link