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Poland charges Belarusian with arson on behalf of Russian intelligence
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 12, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 12, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
A Belarusian is charged with arson in Warsaw, linked to Russian intelligence, as Poland remains a key espionage target due to its support for Ukraine.
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland has charged a Belarusian citizen who set fire to a large hardware store in Warsaw last April with committing an act of sabotage on behalf of Russian intelligence, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Poland says its role as a hub for supplies to Ukraine has made it a key target for spies who are trying to gather information on support for Kyiv's war effort and engage in acts of sabotage. Russia has regularly denied any involvement.
Prosecutors said a fire which broke out in the hardware store in Poland's capital on April 14, 2024 was the result of arson and the perpetrator was a citizen of Belarus, referred to as Stepan K. under Polish privacy laws.
"Moreover, it was established that the suspect Stepan K. committed the above arson acting for foreign intelligence, i.e. the intelligence of the Russian Federation, and on the order of the Russian special services," prosecutors said.
Stepan K. was charged with sabotage for foreign intelligence and a terrorist offence, a crime punishable by 10 years to life imprisonment. He was previously temporarily arrested in another case regarding espionage and participating in an organised criminal group.
(Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Christina Fincher)
The Belarusian citizen, referred to as Stepan K., was charged with committing an act of sabotage on behalf of Russian intelligence and a terrorist offense.
The charges stemmed from a fire that broke out in a hardware store in Warsaw on April 14, 2024, which was determined to be the result of arson.
Stepan K. faces a crime punishable by 10 years to life imprisonment for his actions related to foreign intelligence and sabotage.
Poland's role as a hub for supplies to Ukraine has made it a key target for spies attempting to gather information on support for Kyiv's war effort.
The article was reported by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk and edited by Christina Fincher.
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