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ABW: Russian sabotage is an increasing problem in Poland 

Photo: Dariusz Borowicz / Agencja Wyborcza / TATYANA MAKEYEVA/AFP

This year, the Polish services responsible for the internal security of the state have recorded the intensification of sabotage activities against the Republic of Poland and the member states of the European Union and NATO. This is stated in the message of the Internal Security Agency (ABW). 

According to the department, these sabotages were initiated and coordinated by the Russian special services.

The text recalls that in 2023, employees of the Internal Security Agency discovered and eliminated a spy network that carried out reconnaissance and sabotage missions for Russia. At the moment, 16 people have been convicted in this case, including 12 citizens of Ukraine, three citizens of Belarus and one citizen of Russia.

At the same time, it was pointed out that in 2024, the activity of sabotage groups operating on the territory of Poland, “inspired by the Russian services, significantly intensified. As reported, “the target was primarily civilian objects, including warehouses and large-format stores, and the method was arson.”

Hostile activities carried out on behalf of the Russian Federation are increasingly taking the form of terrorist activities. The agency said that Russians recruit mainly young people from the countries of the former USSR, in particular Ukraine and Belarus. Often these people have connections with criminal circles and are guided primarily by financial issues. “These people are not always guided by ideological motives, they often declare anti-Russian views, which does not prevent them from carrying out de facto actions against Ukraine and Western countries,” the message says.

The communique also talks about the main purpose of sabotage operations. It is primarily about “intimidating citizens of Poland and Western countries and dissuading them from further support for Ukraine.” In addition, Moscow is testing “the resilience of Poland and its allies to hybrid threats.”

The Internal Security Agency reported that the prosecutor’s office is now overseeing several investigations of sabotage, which were entrusted to the department and the police. ”To date, about 20 suspects have been charged,” the justification says.