9 people arrested for alleged acts of Russian sabotage in Poland

WARSAW

Nine suspected members of a Russian spy ring have been arrested for allegedly coordinating a campaign of sabotage in Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday.

“We currently have nine people under arrest and charged with being directly involved in acts of sabotage in Poland at the request of the Russian services,” Tusk told TVN24 commercial television news.

“We are talking about hired people. Sometimes they are people from the criminal world. This applies to beatings, arson and attempted arson and to Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish citizens,” he added.

“The most important thing is to fully regain control over what is happening on the territory of the Polish state. We are regaining this control,” Tusk added.

“The influence of Russian agents and the Kremlin on what is happening in Poland at various levels of government and administration requires investigation,” he said, adding that he would present details regarding the establishment of a commission to clarify this on Tuesday.

“There was a quite high-profile case in Wroclaw where an attempt to set fire to a paint production plant was foiled, with a chemical plant nearby. It was commissioned by the Russian services, beyond any doubt. We are dealing with acts of sabotage in Lithuania, arson of the IKEA warehouse. The same people detained there may also be related to sabotage attempts, mainly arson, in Poland,” he pointed out.

This follows high-profile incidents including fires at a market hall in Warsaw and at landfill sites.

Tusk said last week that Poland would allocate an extra $25 million to boost its intelligence services, warning of a rising threat from Russia, in particular due to Poland’s role as a distribution hub for supplies to Ukraine.​​​​​​​

Tusk added that Russian attempts to destabilize European countries, particularly Poland and the Baltic states, would intensify in the run-up to European elections next month.

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