Poland: two Ukrainians remanded in custody for spying for Russia
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Bénin Web TV
A Polish court has remanded in custody two Ukrainians aged 24 and 25, arrested on 3 November in Mińsk Mazowiecki, east of Warsaw, and suspected of spying and sabotage for Russian services. Poland’s Internal Security Agency accuses them of photographing military sites and setting fire to vehicles with plates imitating those of the Ukrainian army, operations paid for in cryptocurrencies.
Poland on Tuesday 10 November 2026 remanded in custody for three months two Ukrainian nationals suspected of spying and sabotage for Russian intelligence services, Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) announced. Aged 24 and 25, they had been arrested on 3 November in Mińsk Mazowiecki, east of Warsaw. The authorities accuse them in particular of having identified and photographed critical infrastructure and military sites in several regions of the country, according to the ABW.
The two suspects are also accused of having set fire to several vehicles whose number plates had been replaced with plates resembling those used by the Ukrainian army. Investigators suspect an operation intended to cast suspicion on Ukraine, while the Polish authorities say the actions were commissioned and paid for by Russian services, notably in cryptocurrencies, according to the ABW.
The prosecutor’s office has brought charges of espionage and sabotage, offences punishable by ten years in prison to life imprisonment if convicted. Data media and narcotics were also seized during searches carried out at the suspects' places of residence and in other premises linked to the investigation, according to the agency.
The proceedings come five days after the announcement of the arrest of six people in Poland for spying for Russia, four of whom had been jailed and two placed under supervision without detention, in a separate case linked to the supply of components for the manufacture of munitions and weapons. Poland regularly accuses Russian services of carrying out intelligence and sabotage operations on its territory since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which Russia denies.
