Over the past several months, Polish security forces have arrested 32 individuals suspected of working with the Russian intelligence services and committing acts of sabotage, assault, and arson, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Tuesday, according to a report by Polskie Radio.
Tusk said the suspects were involved in efforts to destabilize Poland, including acts of sabotage, arson, and physical assaults.
“At this moment, we have 32 people detained and suspected of working with Russian services, who commissioned acts of sabotage or beatings,” Tusk said.
Among those arrested are citizens of Poland, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, as well as one individual from Colombia. The Colombian national was linked to two arson attacks in 2024 and is believed to have acted on orders from handlers in Russia. Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) determined that he set fire to construction supply warehouses in Warsaw and Radom, a city 60 miles south of the capital. He has been charged with terrorism and faces the possibility of life in prison.
Jacek Dobrzyński, a spokesman for Poland’s security services, identified the Colombian suspect as a 27-year-old man who was “trained by a person connected to Russian intelligence services,” who instructed him in “how to prepare incendiary materials, Molotov cocktails, and how to document these arson attacks.” The attacks occurred on May 23, 2024 in Warsaw, and on May 30, 2024 in Radom.
Tusk also revealed that diplomatic efforts resulted in the coordinator behind the sabotage operations being apprehended abroad and brought to Poland.
The prime minister noted that the list of suspects is not final and said Russian operations also extend into political circles in Poland. He added that attempts to destabilize Poland’s borders and paralyze border services are comparable to sabotage:
“Destabilizing our borders, attempting to paralyze our security services — these are closely connected to more drastic sabotage efforts like arson and assaults. Any such action — either at the border or inside the country — is, directly or indirectly, cooperation with Russia.”
Earlier this year, Poland expelled Russian diplomats from the Consulate General in Kraków and said it would shut down the facility, accusing Russian intelligence of organizing an arson attack on a Warsaw shopping center in May 2024.