Proceedings began on Monday at the Warsaw-Praga District Court before the court ordered the entire trial closed to the public to protect an important state interest.
The case concerns a group that prosecutors say carried out or prepared arson attacks on large commercial buildings on behalf of Russian intelligence. The attacks included the May 2024 fire that destroyed the Marywilska 44 shopping center in Warsaw.
Prosecutor Arkadiusz Jaraszek said the indictment had been read and the court had begun to hear statements from the defendants.
The prosecution had initially asked for an adjournment because one defendant, Ukrainian citizen Daniil B., remains in Lithuania, where he was detained. Lithuanian authorities have told Poland that a formal decision on his transfer has yet to be made and that the procedure could take up to two months.
The court instead separated his case, allowing the trial of the other defendants to proceed.
"The point is that this trial should not stand still and can begin," Jaraszek said. "The other proceedings will be conducted after Daniil B. is transferred to Poland."
Five people were charged in the indictment filed in March. They include four Ukrainian citizens and Belarusian citizen Stepan K. Prosecutors say members of the group were involved in the April 2024 arson attack on an Obi home improvement store in Warsaw, the May 2024 fire at an Ikea store in Vilnius, Lithuania, and preparations to set fire to an Ikea store in Riga, Latvia.
The indictment also covers activities connected with the destruction of Warsaw's Marywilska 44 shopping center on May 12, 2024.
Prosecutors say Daniil B. was instructed by a man in Russia to go to the shopping center and record the fire and emergency response. He allegedly sent the footage to his contact after the blaze began.
Investigators say the Marywilska fire was deliberately started by members of the criminal group acting on behalf of Russian intelligence.
The people who directly set the building on fire, however, have not been identified, and the investigation into the attack continues.
Marywilska 44 contained about 1,400 shops and service businesses. Around 2,000 business owners and employees suffered losses in the fire.
Stepan K. is accused of setting fire to the Obi store on Radzymińska Street in Warsaw. Prosecutors say he used an incendiary device that could be activated remotely and recorded his actions on a mobile phone. Some of the material was later published on Russian propaganda websites.
Oleksandr H. is accused of helping to construct and use an incendiary device in the Vilnius Ikea attack. Vitalii K. is accused of providing logistical assistance, including transport, and of helping a perpetrator to escape.
Prosecutors say the alleged group operated in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine and Russia and sought to carry out sabotage and terrorism-related offenses by setting fire to large commercial buildings in European Union countries.
Two men suspected of directing and coordinating the group, Serhii Chalyi and Oleksandr Varyvoda, remain wanted under European arrest warrants and Polish warrants.
Three Ukrainian citizens were convicted in an earlier trial of taking part in the same sabotage and terrorism-related criminal organization. Two were also convicted of obstructing investigations into the Vilnius Ikea fire and the Marywilska 44 blaze.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP, tvp.pl