Poland accuses a Ukrainian man and a group of individuals of setting fire to commercial properties

The Polish prosecutor’s office has charged five individuals, including a Ukrainian national, in connection with the arson attack on the Marywilska 44 shopping center in Warsaw in 2024, which authorities link to a Russian sabotage campaign against supporters of Ukraine.

This was reported by TVP World, citing TVP Info.

According to the National Prosecutor’s Office, the arson attack on the shopping center on May 12, 2024, was a terrorist act organized by a network of agents recruited by Russia’s GRU.

Of the five defendants, three will face charges of sabotage. According to the investigation, two of the suspects participated in attacks in Poland and the Baltic states.

A 19-year-old Ukrainian, Danylo B., has been charged with participating in an organized group whose aim was to carry out sabotage and terrorist crimes, including arson attacks on large facilities in EU countries. The investigation indicates that these actions were intended to “seriously intimidate people and influence public opinion” and deliberately cast suspicion on Ukrainians, who are often recruited for such operations.

Additionally, Danylo B. is accused of acting “in the interests of Russian intelligence agencies,” as he filmed a fire in Warsaw and sent the footage to Oleksandr Varyvoda—the leader of a Russian sabotage group who is wanted internationally.

The penalty for sabotage in Poland ranges from 10 years to life imprisonment. At the same time, the case is complicated by the fact that Danilo B. is already in prison in Lithuania for setting fire to an IKEA store in Vilnius on May 8, 2024.

Another defendant, Oleksandr G., is also implicated in acts of sabotage in Poland and the Baltic states. According to the investigation, in April 2024, he and Danylo B. agreed to set fire to IKEA shopping centers in Lithuania and Latvia on the orders of the GRU for 10,000 euros. Both were detained by the anti-terrorism police on May 13 during a trip to Latvia.

The third suspect is Belarusian Stepan K., who has been charged in Poland with eight crimes, including an attempted arson of a warehouse in Gdańsk and a pallet warehouse in central Poland. Investigators claim that Stepan K. was involved with a gang led by the notorious Polish leader Olgerd L., which was engaged in arson, arms trafficking, and incitement to commit attacks.