Poland indicts teen accused of performing sabotage for Russia
Poland's Internal Security Agency has charged a 16-year-old Ukrainian citizen with carrying out sabotage on behalf of Russian intelligence, including defacing monuments and plotting a drone attack.
Poland's Internal Security Agency announced the arrest and indictment of a 16-year-old Ukrainian national for sabotage activities conducted on behalf of Russian intelligence services. The agency stated that the case exposes Russian methods of exploiting tensions between Poles and Ukrainians.
Agency spokesperson Jacek Dobrzyński said on Thursday that the teenager, acting on Russian orders, placed inscriptions glorifying the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and its leader Stepan Bandera on buildings and memorials. These acts desecrated sites of particular significance to Poles, including the Monument to the Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto and the Volhynia Massacre Memorial.
During World War II, the UPA killed tens of thousands of Poles in an ethnic cleansing campaign in what is now western Ukraine. Although Poland and Ukraine remain close allies against Russia, historical disputes continue to strain relations. Tensions escalated in May after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named a military unit "Heroes of the UPA," drawing strong criticism from Polish officials.
According to the agency, the suspect, identified as Illia K., is also accused of planning a sabotage attack using drones. If convicted, he faces a prison sentence of 10 years to life.
