Russian Arrested in Poland for Plotting Assassination of Ukrainian-American Contractor

Polish authorities arrested a Russian citizen on August 7 for allegedly preparing the assassination of a person holding dual Ukrainian-American citizenship in Warsaw. Prime Minister Donald Tusk disclosed the arrest on August 13, calling it a last-minute prevention of an attack ordered by Russian intelligence.

Target Was an Arms Contractor

Polish broadcaster RMF FM reported, citing unofficial sources, that the target was a defense contractor supplying weapons to Ukraine. The suspected assassin was a 29-year-old man from the Donbas region. The operation was carried out jointly with American security services, according to intelligence coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak.

First Such Case on NATO Territory

Tusk described this as the first known instance of Russia planning the assassination of a US citizen on the territory of a NATO member state. He warned that the Russian regime "will seek to eliminate people inconvenient to it" and pledged that Poland would "act intensively" in response.

Pattern of Russian Operations in Poland

The arrest follows other Russian-linked incidents in Poland. On June 15, Russian artist and activist Semyon Skrepetsky was shot dead in Biała Podlaska. Polish PM Tusk announced the arrest of a suspect in that case on June 18. Russian-linked operatives have been increasingly active across Europe in recent months.