Poland detains 55 over alleged Russian espionage and sabotage plots

Polish authorities said that 55 people have been detained in recent months on suspicion of activities undertaken for Russian intelligence, up from an earlier count of eight.

Jacek Dobrzynski, the spokesperson for the minister coordinating Poland’s special services, said a set of broader, overlapping investigations had produced the higher total, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

He did not provide a breakdown by case or charge.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the Internal Security Agency (ABW), working with other services, had detained eight people in “various parts of the country” in recent days on suspicion of preparing acts of sabotage. Posting on the US social media company X’s platform, Tusk said the cases are ongoing and that further operational steps are under way.

According to Dobrzynski, those detained span several separate, multi-level probes into Russian intelligence activity. They include Danylo H., a 21-year-old Ukrainian citizen who was arrested near Warsaw on Oct. 16 on suspicion of espionage in Poland and Romania. That arrest was carried out in cooperation with the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI). Two additional Ukrainian nationals were reportedly detained in Bucharest in a related Romanian-led case.

Officials have not yet disclosed specific targets, timelines or charging decisions for the Polish detentions.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has been a primary transit corridor for Western military aid and humanitarian shipments, which makes the country a prime target for espionage and sabotage aimed at rail lines, depots, energy nodes and defense suppliers.

Polish services have publicized cases involving railway surveillance, attempted arson of commercial or historical sites and paid spotters—tactics consistent with Russia’s broader “active measures” playbook across the European Union.

Cross-border cooperation with Romania’s SRI as well as with Baltic and Czech services has intensified—reflecting the way suspected networks span jurisdictions.

The ABW and the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW) can investigate espionage and sabotage under Poland’s Penal Code and counter-espionage statutes. Courts can impose pre-trial detention while cases remain classified.

Warsaw has warned that Russia is escalating covert and influence operations inside NATO states.