Poland arrests two Ukrainian men accused of spying and sabotage for Russia

Arrest and charges

Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) detained two Ukrainian citizens, aged 24 and 25, in Minsk Mazowiecki, east of Warsaw, on 3 November. The authorities did not disclose the operation until Tuesday, 10 November, when Tomasz Siemoniak, the minister coordinating the special services, confirmed the arrests to the PAP news agency. Prosecutors charged both men on 4 November with espionage on behalf of foreign intelligence against Poland and with committing an act of sabotage. A court, acting on the prosecutor's motion, ordered three months of temporary detention for each man, citing the risk that they might flee. The case is handled by the Łódź branch of the National Prosecutor's Office. The offences carry penalties from 10 years to life imprisonment under Article 130 of the penal code.

What the suspects allegedly did

According to investigators, the men photographed critical infrastructure and military facilities in several parts of the country. They were paid for these tasks, partly in cryptocurrency. Searches of their homes and other locations turned up electronic devices, data carriers and narcotics. Prosecutors allege the men also set fire to vehicles after swapping their registration plates for ones resembling those used by the Ukrainian military. Authorities have not said when the fires occurred or how many vehicles were burned. Prosecutors described the sabotage as ordered by Russian intelligence and meant to stoke anti-Ukrainian sentiment.

The number plates and the suspicion of Ukraine

The ABW stated that the suspects replaced the plates to make it look as though Ukraine was responsible. Siemoniak, writing on X, linked the plate swap to a wider aim of making the case harder to investigate. He said the change could also be used to spread disinformation. The minister put it this way:

“This move could have aimed to hinder establishing the real background of the events, and above all to direct suspicion toward Ukraine.”

The ABW and prosecutors have framed the case around this deception, though the articles do not describe any evidence beyond the plates themselves.

Poland's wider accusations against Moscow

Poland accuses Russia and Belarus of running a hybrid campaign that includes sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia has repeatedly denied the sabotage accusations made against it in Europe. The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the case. On 5 November, Siemoniak announced the detention of six other people for supplying military material to Moscow. He said close to a hundred people have been investigated in Poland for espionage and sabotage since January 2024.

What remains unclear

Authorities have not disclosed when the vehicle fires took place or how many vehicles were set alight. The two men remain in custody under the three-month court order while the Łódź prosecutors continue the investigation. The articles do not say whether anyone else took part in the operations. Further charges or details may follow as the inquiry proceeds.