Russians Planned a Sabotage in Poland

22 October, 2024 Wroclaw, May 29, 2024: ABW agents bring suspects of committing terrorist acts on the orders of Russian intelligence to court (Photo: Tomasz Pietrzyk/Agencja Wyborcza.pl) Poland's Foreign Minister accused Russia of attempting to sabotage within the country. In this regard, Radoslaw Sikorski announced the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Poznan.

Explaining the necessity of closing the Russian Consulate, Sikorski emphasized that Russia is waging a hybrid war and attempting sabotage on Polish territory. "As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, it is my duty to respond decisively. The first step is to close the Russian consulate in Poznan.

We will not back down a single step. We are defending the Republic of Poland, we are defending Poles," the Polish Foreign Minister added. There are three Russian Consulates general in Poland--in addition to Poznan, these are Krakow and Gdansk.

Radoslaw Sikorski.

Photo: pap.pl

Prior to that, Sikorski had hinted at the closure of the Russian consulate, announcing a solution to counter Moscow's sabotage on Polish territory. On October 21, Radoslaw Sikorski stated that a Ukrainian detained in Poland earlier had been planning to set fire to a facility in Wroclaw under Russian orders. "The arrested potential saboteur confessed that it was the Russian special services that ordered him to commit arson in Wroclaw.

We have witnessed other similar arson attacks across Europe and are aware of Russia's further plans," the minister explained. He added that the issue of migration in general is important for Poland. It's a component of national security--it is "a storm, a hybrid, very specific attack on Poland in the form of using migrants to forcefully cross the border."

Gazeta Wyborcza also published some details about the saboteur, whose case is being investigated in Poland. The newspaper reported that it has gained access to files on the operations of Polish services against a Russian agent who organized terrorist attacks in Europe.

Officers of the Polish ABW special service. Illustrative photo

According to those files, on January 31, 2024, a Ukrainian man, Serhiy S., born in 1973, originally from Odesa, was detained at the Wroclaw bus station.

Since January 2024, he has been living in Germany with his wife and was about to visit her in Frankfurt am Main by bus. However, he was detained by Polish law enforcement officers. The Internal Security Agency has evidence that he arrived in Wroclaw on a sabotage mission to set fire to an "important facility" there.

It does not specify which one, but "the consequences would be difficult to assess."

In May 2024, nine people were arrested in Poland on suspicion of working for Russian special services and committing a number of sabotage acts in the country.