Poland charges man allegedly paid by Russia to inflame Polish-Ukrainian tensions
Prosecutors say the suspect was recruited online and paid in cryptocurrency to inflame tensions between Poles and Ukrainians.
- Poland's Internal Security Agency charged 18-year-old Illia K. on Thursday with 47 criminal acts, alleging he worked for Russian intelligence to incite ethnic tensions between Poland and Ukraine.
- Authorities identified an online recruitment mechanism using cryptocurrency payments via exchanges registered in Russia and China. "The aim was to incite ethnic tensions between Poland and Ukraine," ABW stated.
- Prosecutors allege Illia K. desecrated memorial sites honoring Polish WWII victims and planned a sabotage attack, intending to fly a drone over the Polish President's car during a military parade in Warsaw on Aug. 15, 2025.
- Diplomatic relations between Warsaw and Kyiv reached a low point after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army , accused of massacring Poles in the 1940s.
- Warsaw has long accused Moscow of conducting hybrid operations to drive a wedge between Poland and Ukraine. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, denies these persistent allegations of interference in Polish affairs.
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14 Articles
Ukrainian Teen Charged With 47 Russian Sabotage Attacks in Poland
Polish prosecutors have charged an 18-year-old Ukrainian citizen, identified as Illia K., with carrying out 47 criminal acts on behalf of Russian intelligence in an alleged effort to inflame tensions between Poland and Ukraine. Arrested in August 2025, he faces life imprisonment on charges that include recruiting accomplices through encrypted messaging apps and paying them with cryptocurrencies registered in Russia and China. He is also accused …
An indictment has been filed against 18-year-old Ukrainian citizen Illia K., the Internal Security Agency (ABW) reported. He was allegedly carrying out tasks commissioned by Russia. According to the prosecutor's office, he also planned to fly a drone over the car allegedly carrying the president.
18-year-old Ilja K.'s criminal record is much longer than that, and he also worked for the Russians.
The main purpose of these actions was to incite inter-ethnic hatred between Poles and Ukrainians.
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