Poland says 32 people detained in probe into alleged Russia-linked sabotage
Poland says authorities have detained 32 people suspected of coordinating with Russia in acts of sabotage, widening a counterintelligence case that includes arson allegations and a mix of suspects from several nationalities.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that the detentions had been made by Polish authorities. According to the Polish news agency PAP, one person has already been convicted while the others remain in custody awaiting trial. The group includes a Pole, Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and a 27-year-old Colombian man.
The Internal Security Agency said the Colombian suspect is accused of two arson attacks in Poland last year at Russia’s behest. Prosecutors and security officials say he is linked to fires at two construction warehouses in May 2024 and that he allegedly received instructions, including how to make a Molotov cocktail, from someone associated with Russian intelligence. The agency said the suspect faces up to 10 years to life in prison if convicted.
The case adds to long-running concerns across Europe about sabotage, espionage and hybrid operations linked to Moscow since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Poland, a key supporter of Ukraine and one of the most exposed front-line states in the region, has repeatedly warned about threats to its infrastructure and internal security.
The AP report said other details about the detainees or the alleged sabotage were not immediately available. That leaves the broad shape of the case clear but many operational questions unanswered, including how the suspects were coordinated, what targets may have been selected and whether more arrests are likely.
Still, the announcement signals that Polish authorities see the issue as more than isolated criminality. By tying the Colombian suspect to alleged arson and describing the broader group as coordinated with Russia, the government is presenting the case as part of a wider security challenge rather than a single incident.
The detentions also fit a broader regional pattern in which European governments have accused Russian services or proxies of using intermediaries, including foreign nationals, for clandestine operations. In Poland’s telling, the case now reaches across nationality lines and into multiple alleged acts rather than one one-off plot.
For now, officials have given only limited details, and the accusations remain allegations unless and until tested in court. But the scale of the detentions suggests investigators believe they have uncovered a network substantial enough to warrant public disclosure at the highest level.
