A Polish citizen has been arrested on charges of participating in an alleged plot in favor of Russia to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This was reported by the AP on Thursday, citing a statement from the Polish prosecutor's office.
Poland's national prosecutor's office said in a statement that the man, identified only as Pawel K. under Polish privacy laws, is accused of trying to pass airport security information to Russian agents.
The man was arrested in Poland on Wednesday.
According to the charges, Pavel K. sought contact with Russians directly involved in the war in Ukraine and was expected to pass on detailed information about the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland, near the border with Ukraine, used for international military and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine. It also serves leaders and politicians traveling in and out of Ukraine. The airport is under the control of American troops.
If convicted, the man could face up to eight years in prison, the statement said.
Prosecutors said the arrest was the result of close cooperation with prosecutors and Ukraine's security services, who tipped them off and who provided important evidence.
Poland has been a staunch supporter of neighboring Ukraine and Zelensky in the war with Russia for more than two years.
We recall that on Thursday in Germany, two German-Russian citizens were arrested on suspicion of espionage, one of them accused of agreeing to carry out attacks on potential targets, including US military installations, in the hope of sabotage aid to Ukraine.
The pair, identified only as Dieter S. and Alexander J. under German privacy rules, were arrested on Wednesday in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth, German federal prosecutors said.
The Russian embassy in the country, however, declared the arrest a provocation and anti-Russian sentiment and said there was no evidence of the men's guilt or Moscow's involvement.