Poland deports 11 suspected of Russian‑funded recruitment of Ukrainian refugees

Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) together with the Border Guard arrested and deported nine Ukrainian citizens and two Belarusians after accusing them of using Russian money to recruit Ukrainian refugees for anti‑Kyiv protests in Poland. The suspects allegedly paid participants to demonstrate on issues such as corruption scandals involving President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government. The operation, said to have been active since autumn 2025, was described as a hybrid influence campaign aimed at exploiting the large Ukrainian diaspora – some 966,023 refugees registered in Poland as of March 2026 – rather than a classic sabotage act.

Polish officials framed the case as part of a broader Russian‑Belarusian effort that also includes cyber‑attacks and disinformation. The expulsions, carried out in Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków, Zakopane and Bydgoszcz, come as Poland tightens its refugee framework under the recently adopted Phasing Out Act, shifting Ukrainian protection to a temporary‑status regime.

The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not respond to the allegations.