Officers of the Internal Security Agency (ABW) detained two Ukrainian citizens, aged 24 and 25, in Mińsk Mazowiecki on suspicion of espionage and sabotage on the orders of Russian special services. Both have been remanded in custody for three months.
What Minister Siemoniak announced
The detention was announced on Tuesday, 10 November, on X by Minister Coordinator of Special Services Tomasz Siemoniak. According to his post, the men identified and photographed critical and military infrastructure facilities on Polish territory. In addition to espionage and sabotage, they were also charged with setting vehicles on fire.
Swapped license plates and cryptocurrency
ABW’s findings show that before the arson attacks, the suspects changed the registration plates on the vehicles to ones resembling those used by the Ukrainian army. According to Siemoniak, this step could have made it harder to establish the real background of the incidents and directed suspicion toward Ukraine, which could have been used to spread disinformation. ABW stated that the goal may have been precisely to point at Ukraine.
The detainees received payment for their tasks, including in cryptocurrencies. The agency said they identified facilities in various parts of Poland.
Custody and potential penalty
The court ordered temporary custody for both men for three months. According to ABW, they face a penalty of between 10 years’ imprisonment and life imprisonment. The investigation is being conducted by the prosecutor’s office under the supervision of the Łódź branch of the National Prosecutor’s Office. The detainees are suspects – there is no final verdict.
The agency summed up the case by stating that Russian services are looking for executors, while ABW identifies and detains them. The full statement was published on the ABW website.
Another arrest within days
This is the second high-profile espionage case in recent days. On 5 November we wrote about the dismantling of a group working for Russian intelligence, in which six people were detained. In its report for 2024–2025, ABW said that since the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, 91 people have gained the status of suspect in cases involving activity on behalf of foreign services, and espionage charges have been brought against 82.
