Polish prosecutors have charged a Belarus citizen with setting fire to a large building supply store in Warsaw, revealing the attack was carried out on orders from Russian intelligence services. According to Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office, key findings in the case established the suspect as the perpetrator and confirmed his connections to Russian intelligence.
Poland’s current investigation extends beyond the Warsaw incident to include arson attacks on other large retail stores across Poland and Central and Eastern European countries, including Lithuania. On 9 August 2024, Poland and Lithuania established a Joint Investigation Team to coordinate investigations in both countries.
The National Prosecutor’s Office announced on 12 March that Stepan K., a Belarus national, has been charged with sabotage and terrorism for deliberately setting fire to a Warsaw retail building store on 14 April 2024. The fire destroyed part of the store and caused damages exceeding 3.5 million złoty or $908,000.
According to evidence gathered by the Mazovian Regional Department for Organized Crime and Corruption, the suspect poured flammable liquid throughout the store on 13 April 2024 and placed devices that would allow the fire to be triggered remotely. The fire was initiated during the night between 13 and 14 April 2024.
Prosecutors determined that Stepan K. recorded his actions on a mobile phone to document the sabotage operation. Parts of this footage were later published on Russian propaganda websites.
“[I]t was established that the suspect Stepan K. carried out the above arson acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence service, i.e. the intelligence service of the Russian Federation, and at the behest of the Russian special services,” the National Prosecutor’s Office stated.
On 10 March 2025, prosecutors formally charged Stepan K. with conducting sabotage on behalf of foreign intelligence and committing a terrorist act. These crimes carry penalties ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment. The court has ordered him to be held in pretrial detention for three months.
The suspect was already in detention for a separate case related to an organized criminal group involved in recruiting and organizing subversive activities for foreign intelligence.
Related:
- Politico: EU plans for fresh Ukraine refugee wave amid Trump threats
- Poland’s Tusk warns Russia will be ready for larger war in 3-4 years
- Finland-Germany submarine cable damaged again in Baltic Sea in possible sabotage act
- WSJ: Russia’s new intel dept orchestrates attacks across Europe
- Russia offers $ 5,000 for attacks on Ukraine mobilization offices, undercover journalists reveal
- The cost of “easy money”: Russian services eliminate their own sabotage recruits in recent attacks on Ukraine’s military recruitment centers
- Ukraine detains more than 450 in Russian-orchestrated arson network
- Russian online recruitment of intel gatherers across Europe revealed by investigation
- WSJ: US-bound planes possibly targeted in Russian DHL-linked incendiary scheme
