Polish PM: fire at drone factory was an act of sabotage

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has stated he has no doubt that a fire at the WB Electronics plant in Skarżysko-Kamienna, which produces unmanned systems components, was a deliberate act of arson and sabotage. He made the remarks ahead of a government meeting called to address fires that broke out at two industrial sites in recent days.

The second incident occurred at a production and warehouse facility belonging to JFG Composites in Lublin, a company that manufactures components for the aerospace industry. Regarding this case, Tusk said there is no direct evidence of sabotage yet, but given the nature of the production, deliberate arson cannot be ruled out.

The prime minister said the coming weeks and months will be decisive not only for the war in Ukraine but will also present a serious challenge for the wider region, as Russia intends to escalate tensions and destabilise the situation.

Link to cryptocurrency legislation

Tusk also connected the fires to an upcoming vote in the Polish parliament on President Karol Nawrocki's veto of a bill regulating the cryptocurrency market, scheduled for Friday, 4 September. He urged opposition lawmakers and the president to reconsider their stance, arguing that passing the bill would make it significantly harder to finance terrorist activity directed at Poland.

According to Tusk, the vast majority of terrorist operations, including acts of sabotage and arson, rely on cryptocurrency financing, since the market currently operates with almost no oversight. He said Russia uses cryptocurrencies as its main mechanism for funding such operations.

It was previously reported that a fire broke out at a factory producing drones for the Polish and Ukrainian armed forces, with an unidentified person wearing a balaclava reportedly seen at the site shortly before the blaze. Poland's National Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into suspected involvement of a foreign intelligence service and a terrorist-type offence.