Warsaw (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland security authorities have detained eight individuals suspected of planning acts of sabotage across different regions.
Over the past month, Officials state that Poland has faced tactics like arson and cyberattacks as part of a “hybrid war” fought by Russia to destabilize countries backing Ukraine. However, Russia has denied these claims.
ABW, we współpracy z innymi służbami, zatrzymała w ostatnich dniach osiem osób w różnych częściach kraju, podejrzewanych o przygotowania aktów dywersji. Sprawa jest rozwojowa. Trwają dalsze czynności operacyjne.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) October 21, 2025
Polish security authorities have detained eight individuals suspected of planning acts of sabotage in different regions, according to Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday.
“Further operational activities are continuing”
he stated, but did not provide additional details.
The Polish minister responsible for special services, Tomasz Siemoniak, stated
“The matters … concern reconnaissance of military facilities and critical infrastructure elements, the preparation of means to carry out acts of sabotage, and the direct execution of attacks.”
How is Russia accused of waging hybrid warfare on Poland?
Concerns over Russia’s hybrid warfare are intense in Poland. Warsaw’s government has documented several sabotage attempts, claiming they were directed by Moscow, such as a fire at a shopping mall in the Polish capital and several cybersecurity breaches.
In May 2024, a fire completely destroyed a large shopping center in Warsaw, along with the 1,400 businesses it housed, most of which were owned by members of the Vietnamese community. Authorities launched an investigation and attributed responsibility to Moscow.
Poland states that its position as a key aid hub for Ukraine has made it a target for Russian and Belarusian intelligence services, which have accused Moscow and Minsk of orchestrating sabotage activities like arson on Polish territory.
How have Russian drones violated Poland’s NATO airspace?
Last month, Polish and other NATO aircraft also shot down at least three Russian drones in Poland’s airspace during overnight attacks on Ukraine, as revealed by the Polish prime minister.
Donald Tusk stated that Poland experienced 19 drone incursions, some of which flew so far as to temporarily close four airports, including the main airport in Warsaw Chopin.
“This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two,”
he said. This marks the first instance of Russian drones being shot down over NATO territory since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
