Belarusian sentenced in Poland for preparing warehouse arson — Notes from Poland

In Poland, 28-year-old Belarusian Vitalliy S. was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for preparing sabotage on behalf of foreign intelligence. He was preparing to set fire to a warehouse in the eastern city of Chełm, Notes from Poland reports.

Warehouse reconnaissance and payment

According to Poland's Internal Security Agency, the man was recruited via the Telegram messenger. He was tasked with conducting reconnaissance of the facility, filming the warehouse and sending the materials to those who commissioned it.

Preparations for the arson took place in July 2025. For the work completed, Vitalliy S. received an amount in cryptocurrency equivalent to 1,474 zlotys, or 337 euros. Polish authorities did not specify on behalf of which state exactly he acted.

Court ruling

The man was detained in August 2025 and charged with espionage. In July 2026, the indictment was sent to court. At the first hearing at the Lublin District Court, he agreed to a punishment negotiated with the prosecution.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

The maximum possible sentence in this case was eight years in prison. The hearings were held behind closed doors for reasons of state security.

Sabotage activities in Poland

In recent years, Poland has detained and charged dozens of people suspected of espionage, sabotage and other hybrid activities on behalf of the Russian Federation — the aggressor state — and its ally Belarus. In some cases, defendants in such cases have been convicted. As the publication notes, people already in Poland are often recruited through Telegram for such operations, with payment offered in cryptocurrency.

In a report published earlier this year, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism named Poland as the main target of Russia's sabotage campaign in Europe. According to the report, 31 of the 151 incidents recorded since 2022 occurred in Poland.