A Polish man has been arrested after claims he was willing to spy for Russian military intelligence in a suspected plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Polish prosecutors have announced that the Polish citizen is suspected of having provided information to Russian intelligence and served as an aid to Russian special forces to plan a possible assassination attempt against the Ukrainian president.
Polish authorities have said that the suspect stated that he was willing to work for Russia's military intelligence services, even establishing contact with Russian citizens who are directly involved in the war in Ukraine.
The person was expected to pass on detailed information about the Rzeszów-Jasionka airport, in southeastern Poland, near the border with Ukraine. This territory serves as the main gateway for international military and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine, as well as for the movement of leaders and politicians traveling in and out of Ukraine. This airport is controlled and protected by US troops.
The arrest came as a result of close cooperation with security services in Ukraine, who provided crucial information. If the Pole is found guilty, he will face 8 years in prison.
Andriy Kostin, the chief Ukrainian prosecutor, said that the suspect was tasked with the role of collecting and transmitting information to Russia, regarding security at the "Rzeszów-Jasionka" airport. At the moment, he is in custody, awaiting court proceedings.
"This case underscores the ongoing threat that Russia poses not only to Ukraine and Ukrainians, but to the entire free world," Kostin wrote in X. "The Kremlin's criminal regime organizes and carries out sabotage operations on the territory of other sovereign states." he then added.
Two German-Russian people have also been arrested in Germany, as they are suspected of espionage. One of them is accused of agreeing to carry out attacks on potential targets, including US buildings, in order to sabotage aid to Ukraine. The suspects, Dieter S. and Alexander J., were arrested on Wednesday in Bavaria.
According to prosecutors, Dieter S. had talked about possible acts of sabotage with a person connected to Russian intelligence. The communication had started since October and Dieter's role was to contribute to undermining the support that Germany is giving to Ukraine. Dieter had agreed to carry out bombings and arson attacks on infrastructure used by the military in industrial buildings in Germany.
