Poland detains two Ukrainians on suspicion of spying, sabotage for Russia

Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) has detained two Ukrainian nationals suspected of spying and carrying out acts of sabotage on behalf of Russian intelligence services, officials said on Tuesday.

The Warsaw headquarters of Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW)

Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak

The men photographed military facilities and critical infrastructure in Poland and were also charged with setting vehicles on fire in one of the country's major cities, the National Public Prosecutor's Office said.

The suspects, aged 24 and 25, were arrested on November 3 in Mińsk Mazowiecki, east of Warsaw.

Prosecutors said searches were conducted at their residence and other locations, where investigators seized data storage devices and drugs.

The two men were charged on November 4 with participating in Russian intelligence activities directed against Poland, committing an act of sabotage by setting vehicles on fire, and gathering information about military facilities and critical infrastructure in the country.

A court granted prosecutors' requests to place both suspects in pre-trial detention for three months.

According to prosecutors, the sabotage was ordered by Russian intelligence services and was intended to fuel anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland.

Before setting the vehicles on fire, the suspects allegedly changed their licence plates to resemble those used on vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian army.

The men were paid for carrying out the assigned tasks, including in cryptocurrency, prosecutors said.

The suspects face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted.

In a post on X, Tomasz Siemoniak, the government minister in charge of Poland's security services, said the men had identified and photographed critical infrastructure and military sites across Poland, in addition to carrying out sabotage and vehicle arson.

Funkcjonariusze Agencji Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego zatrzymali w Mińsku Mazowieckim dwóch obywateli Ukrainy w wieku 24 i 25 lat podejrzanych o szpiegostwo i prowadzenie działań dywersyjnych na zlecenie rosyjskich służb specjalnych. ▶️ Mężczyźni rozpoznawali i robili zdjęcia obiektom infrastruktury krytycznej i wojskowej na terenie Polski. ▶️ Oprócz szpiegostwa i dywersji usłyszeli również zarzuty dotyczące podpaleń pojazdów. ▶️ Funkcjonariusze @ABW_GOV_PL ustalili, że wcześniej zmieniali ich numery rejestracyjne na podobne do stosowanych w pojazdach należących do ukraińskiej armii. Zabieg ten mógł mieć na celu utrudnienie ustalenia rzeczywistego tła zdarzeń, a przede wszystkim skierowanie podejrzeń na stronę ukraińską, co mogłoby być wykorzystywane do szerzenia dezinformacji‼️ ▶️ Za realizację zlecanych zadań otrzymywali wynagrodzenie, między innymi w kryptowalutach. ▶️ Obaj zostali tymczasowo aresztowani na trzy miesiące. ▶️ Śledztwo w tej sprawie prowadzone jest pod nadzorem wydziału zamiejscowego @PK_GOV_PL w Łodzi.

— Tomasz Siemoniak (@TomaszSiemoniak) November 10, 2026

Earlier this month, Polish authorities announced the detention of six people suspected of belonging to an organised criminal group operating against Poland.

Four were also charged with acting on behalf of Russian intelligence. The group included five Polish nationals aged 25 to 52 and a 37-year-old Russian woman.

Siemoniak said at the time that nearly 100 people had been designated suspects in espionage and sabotage investigations conducted by the ABW since January 1, 2024.

(gs)

Source: IAR/PAP