Poland arrests Russian recruited by intelligence to kill US-Ukrainian dual citizen in Warsaw, Tusk says

Arrest and operation

On August 7, 2026, Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) and police arrested a Russian citizen who had been recruited by Russian secret services to carry out an assassination in Warsaw. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the operation at a press conference on Thursday, August 13, telling reporters they were hearing the news for the first time. He described the action by Polish services as "truly brilliant" and said the plot was thwarted at a very late stage of preparation, in the last moment. The arrested Russian national had been recruited by Russian intelligence structures and tasked with carrying out an execution in Warsaw on a person simultaneously holding US and Ukrainian citizenship. The name of the intended victim was not disclosed, nor was the nature of the activity that drew Russian interest. Tusk thanked workers at the ABW and the police for their role in preventing the attack.

Target described as inconvenient for Putin

Tusk said the target was a citizen who possessed two passports, American and Ukrainian, and was regarded as "uncomfortable for the Putin regime." The prime minister did not reveal the victim's name or specify what activities had made the person a target for Russian services. He stressed the particular significance of the case given the target's US citizenship and the fact that the attack was planned on Polish soil, a NATO member state. Officials did not immediately provide more details about the case.

First such case on NATO territory

Tusk emphasized that this was the first instance of someone acting on Russia's orders deciding to attack a US citizen on the territory of another NATO country.

This is the first such situation that someone on Russia's order decides to carry out an attack against an American citizen on the territory of another NATO country, right here on the territory of Poland, on the territory of Warsaw.

Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's minister coordinating secret services, confirmed the arrest on the platform X. He wrote that the ABW, in cooperation with police, detained the Russian citizen on August 7, and that the murder was to take place in Warsaw. Siemoniak stated that the operation was conducted in cooperation with US services. Tusk also thanked the American services for what he described as very good cooperation.

Warning of further threats

Tusk issued a warning about future threats from Russia, stating that Poland would probably face similar pressure in the future. He said Poland's measures would be very intensive to prevent further attempts targeting Polish citizens or citizens of other countries on Polish territory. Tusk assessed that the Putin regime would seek to eliminate people it considers inconvenient, regardless of location.

We must assume that the Putin regime will try to eliminate inconvenient people, for various reasons, in various places around the world, and therefore our actions will be very intensive in this matter to prevent possible further attempts aimed at citizens of Poland or other countries on our territory.

Earlier incident recalled

In June 2026, Russian artist and Putin critic Siemion Skrepecki was shot dead near his home in Biała Podlaska, Poland. The attacker fired five shots at his head and chest. The incident was recalled by Niezalezna.pl in its reporting on the August arrest.