The key facts

  • The detention took place on November 3 in Mińsk Mazowiecki; charges were brought in an espionage and sabotage case
  • According to the investigation, the car arson involved an attempt to shift suspicion onto the Ukrainian side
  • The court remanded both suspects in custody for three months; they face up to life imprisonment

Detention and charges

Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) detained two Ukrainian citizens on suspicion of espionage and sabotage on behalf of Russia. The announcement was made by Minister-Coordinator of Special Services Tomasz Siemoniak, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency (PAP). The men, aged 24 and 25, were detained on November 3 in Mińsk Mazowiecki. They are charged with participating in the activities of Russian intelligence against Poland, setting fire to cars in one of Poland's major cities, and gathering information about military facilities and critical infrastructure.

Arson and license plate swap

“The men conducted reconnaissance and photographed critical and military infrastructure facilities on the territory of Poland,” Siemoniak wrote on the social network X. According to the investigation, the tasks were carried out for payment, including in cryptocurrency. Before the arson, the suspects swapped the cars' license plates for ones resembling those used on Ukrainian army vehicles. In the minister's assessment, this step may have been intended to obscure the real background of the events and shift suspicion onto the Ukrainian side in order to spread disinformation.

Searches and pretrial restraint

The prosecutor's office reported searches of the detainees' homes and other locations: data storage devices and narcotics were seized. The court ordered both men held in pretrial detention for three months. Under Polish law, they face from 10 years in prison to life imprisonment. Gazeta.Ru also notes that earlier a spy network including a Russian woman was uncovered in Poland; the publication does not clarify whether these cases are connected.