Polish authorities have detained 11 people suspected of helping Russian intelligence services recruit Ukrainian refugees to take part in politically motivated demonstrations, officials said on Monday.
The suspects - nine Ukrainian and two Belarusian nationals - allegedly recruited and paid participants among Ukrainian war refugees living in Poland, according to the Internal Security Agency (ABW). The operation was allegedly directed and financed by Russia.
According to Intelligence Coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak, all 11 suspects had links to Russia or its ally Belarus and will be deported from Poland.
Investigators said, "Emotional issues, including reports of corruption scandals and current events in Ukrainian domestic politics, served as the trigger for the protests."
The aim was to stir up tensions and exploit war refugees as a tool of Russian influence, the ABW said.
Poland, an EU and NATO member country, is one of Ukraine's strongest political and military backers and has taken in nearly 1 million Ukrainian refugees since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
The government in Warsaw has repeatedly accused Russian and Belarusian intelligence services of conducting espionage and sabotage operations in Poland by recruiting local collaborators.
The arrests come shortly after the fatal shooting of a Russian artist living in exile in Poland who was critical of the Kremlin. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has described the killing as politically motivated and police have detained a suspect.
