Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) has arrested eight people on charges of planned acts of sabotage, reportedly involving explosive parcels to be sent via Poland to Ukraine. It is believed this is yet another plot by Russia to destabilize the region. Details are still forthcoming.
Polish PM Donald Tusk posted on X early this morning: “ABW, in cooperation with other services, detained eight people in various parts of the country in recent days, suspected of preparing acts of sabotage. The case is ongoing. Further operational activities are continuing.”
“The matters that Prime Minister @donaldtusk writes about concern the reconnaissance of military facilities and critical infrastructure elements, the preparation of means to carry out acts of sabotage, and the direct execution of attacks. ABW is closely cooperating with SKW, the Police, and the Prosecutor’s Office,” wrote Tomasz Siemoniak, minister without portfolio, on a repost of Tusk’s announcement.
According to Reuters, Romania was also involved with the arrests, with Jacek Dobrzynski, spokesperson of the Minister Coordinator of Special Services, telling press: “Preliminary information indicates that they created a route of some kind to send explosives through Poland and Romania to Ukraine.”
In yet a further post, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński decided to use the occasion to launch a political attack against opposition party Law and Justice (PiS), although what he was intimating remained unclear: “ABW has detained eight people suspected of preparing acts of sabotage in Poland. In this context, it appeals to PiS politicians to stop the policy of hatred that serves to divide Poles. The benefit from such irresponsible actions is gained only by those who want to destroy our Homeland.”
This is not the first time Russia has been accused of planning to send explosive packages, nor the first time it has instigated Poland, with drone incursions and cyberattacks on Polish territory becoming commonplace.
Russia was also believed to be behind the waves of migrants crossing illegally into Poland from Belarus, in an attempt to disrupt the border, create chaos for the Polish military, and destabilize Polish society.
Poland, both left and right, has been an ardent supporter of Kyiv and eager to see Putin withdraw from neighboring Ukraine. It has also accepted over 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine, although some moved on to other countries. The country has recently said it is at capacity and has even been granted an exemption from the EU’s migration quota scheme due to the number of Ukrainians it already must deal with.
