Polish courts charge Belarusian and Russian agents for thwarted sabotage plots

Polish internal security officials disclosed that 28‑year‑old Belarusian citizen Vitalij S. prepared a sabotage operation against a large warehouse in Chełm. Acting for a foreign intelligence service, he filmed the site, compiled documentation and was to be paid in cryptocurrency via Telegram. The plan was uncovered by the ABW, and Vitalij S. was arrested on 13 August 2025. He now faces charges of espionage, possession of narcotics and preparation of a qualified crime, with a possible prison sentence.

In a separate case, a Warsaw court released Russian lawyer Anatolij B. from pre‑trial detention after the two‑year limit on his temporary arrest expired. He is accused of organizing attacks on Russian opposition figures linked to Alexei Navalny, including the beating of Leonid Volkov in Vilnius, a failed plot in New York and other assaults. He remains under police supervision, faces up to five years in prison, and the trial – involving defendants from Poland, Russia and Belarus – will continue with a hearing scheduled for 20 August.