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Warsaw, Poland – A court in Poland has found a Ukrainian citizen guilty of planning sabotage in favour of Russian special services and sentenced him to eight years in prison. The verdict was handed down on 21 February, Reuters reports.
Planning arson attacks in favour of the Russian Federation
According to the case file, the Ukrainian was arrested in January last year on suspicion of collaborating with an organised criminal group acting in the interests of Russian intelligence. He was accused of preparing arson attacks on factory buildings and hardware stores in the Polish city of Wroclaw.
Investigators established that the suspect planned to carry out sabotage to destabilise the internal situation in Poland and create chaos, which could play in favour of Russian special services.
The prosecution and the defendant’s position
At the court hearing, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the attempted sabotage, stating that he was motivated solely by financial gain and that he “did not intend to actually commit arson”.
Nevertheless, the court found him guilty of planning crimes and participating in foreign intelligence activities.
Prosecutor’s office offered a lighter sentence
Back in September last year, the prosecutor’s office filed a motion to sentence the Ukrainian to three years in prison without a trial, which would have involved a plea bargain between the prosecution and the defendant. However, the court rejected the motion, stating that the proposed sentence was “too lenient” given the nature of the crime.
“The defendant’s actions posed a real threat to public safety. Therefore, a milder sentence would be unfair and would not correspond to the degree of public danger,”the court said in its decision.
Appeal against a sentence
The Ukrainian has the right to appeal the verdict to a higher court. His lawyers have already stated that they plan to appeal, arguing that the sentence is too harsh.
Context: Increased espionage activity in Poland
Poland has recently stepped up its fight against foreign intelligence activities on its territory. Due to the war in Ukraine and tense relations with Russia, the country’s authorities have reported an increase in the number of espionage cases. Polish intelligence services have repeatedly reported attempts to destabilise the country through subversive activities of Russian agents.
