Poland detains Russian agent who plotted to kill Ukrainian-US citizen - Tusk
Photo: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (Getty Images)
Polish intelligence services have detained a Russian citizen who, acting on instructions from Russian intelligence agencies, was planning to murder a US citizen of Ukrainian origin. The assassination was to take place in Warsaw, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Polsat News reports.
Details of the operation
The Russian citizen was detained on August 7 thanks to a joint operation involving Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW), the police, and US intelligence services.
According to Tusk, the intended target held dual US and Ukrainian citizenship. The man was considered "inconvenient" for the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the plot was thwarted at the last moment.
"This is the first case in which someone acting on Russia's orders decided to attack a US citizen on the territory of another NATO country, specifically in Poland, in Warsaw," the Polish prime minister said.
Poland's minister-coordinator of special services, Tomasz Siemoniak, confirmed that the detained Russian citizen had been acting at the request of a foreign intelligence service and was preparing to carry out a murder in the Polish capital.
Threat of further Russian attacks
The Polish prime minister recalled that Russia is waging a hybrid war against Western countries that support Ukraine. He warned that the Kremlin will continue seeking to eliminate individuals it considers undesirable in various countries around the world.
Polish security services are already preparing for similar scenarios and plan to intensify efforts to protect citizens.
NATO security concerns and Russian provocations
NATO countries have been strengthening air defense capabilities on the alliance's eastern flank in response to repeated Russian provocations and airspace violations involving hostile drones entering Polish and Romanian airspace.
British officials have also warned that the Kremlin has spent years deliberately testing the alliance's readiness and probing its responses through its actions across Europe. London cautions that, under certain circumstances, NATO may ultimately have to respond to such threats with force.
In addition, US intelligence has updated its assessment of security risks and warned that Putin could decide to launch an invasion of a NATO member state even before the war against Ukraine comes to an end.
