Poland’s ABW detains 11 over Russian-financed recruitment of Ukrainian refugees for paid protests
Poland’s Internal Security Agency, together with the Border Guard, detained nine Ukrainian and two Belarusian nationals in five cities, accusing them of recruiting and paying Ukrainian refugees to take part in demonstrations inspired and funded by Russia.
The detentions and immediate expulsions
On 29 June 2026, Poland’s Minister Coordinator of Special Services Tomasz Siemoniak announced that officers of the Internal Security Agency (ABW) and Border Guard had detained 11 foreign nationals in Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków, Zakopane and Bydgoszcz. Nine are citizens of Ukraine (five men and four women) and two are Belarusian men. All are being expelled immediately from Polish territory. No ages or identities were released, and the minister did not say whether criminal charges have been filed.
Since autumn 2025, these individuals recruited and paid participants in demonstrations organized among Ukrainian refugees staying in Poland.
Russian inspiration and funding
According to the ABW, the detainees had links in Russia and Belarus. Funds used to pay protesters came from the Russian Federation, and the operation is described as an attempt to influence Ukrainian migrants in Poland. The service statement called it « an example of actions below the threshold of classic aggression, whose goal is to break social trust, fuel tensions, and use people fleeing war as tools of a Russian influence operation. »
Mechanics of the influence campaign
The group operated from at least autumn 2025, recruiting participants from within the Ukrainian refugee community. Protesters were paid to attend demonstrations that were designed to appear as if organized by Ukrainians themselves, mainly targeting the Ukrainian authorities and Ukrainian corruption. Some gatherings included expressions of support for Donald Trump. ABW stressed that organizers used emotionally charged topics – among them corruption scandals and current events in Ukraine’s domestic politics – to draw in participants and to gradually shape the community’s political messaging.
Protest participants received payment for their involvement, and the funds – according to ABW knowledge – came from the Russian Federation.
Ukrainian consulate warning
The most prominent protest took place in Wrocław in April 2026. Before it occurred, the General Consulate of Ukraine in Wrocław posted a warning on Facebook about a possible provocation, noting that an event presented as a Ukrainian community initiative might have a very different aim – to create tension in Polish society toward Ukrainians. ABW has not confirmed whether any of the detainees organized that specific gathering, only that several of those arrested lived in Wrocław.
Broader context
Polish counter-intelligence framed the operation as part of a pattern of hybrid actions below the threshold of classic military aggression, exploiting refugees to sow division. The prompt expulsion of all 11 individuals signals Warsaw’s readiness to confront such covert operations without lengthy legal proceedings, although the authorities did not disclose details of the recruitment chain or the exact amounts paid.
