Poland says it prevented Russian assassination attempt on Ukrainian American citizen
Polish security services announced that they had prevented an assassination attempt in Warsaw on a US citizen of Ukrainian origin. According to Polish authorities, Russian intelligence services recruited a Russian citizen to carry out the murder. The suspect was detained before he could carry out the alleged plan.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the exposure of the case on August 13. He stated that the potential victim was a person who, for certain reasons, was "inconvenient" to the Russian authorities. The Polish side does not disclose the man's name or other details about him.
The suspect was detained on August 7. The court ordered him to be held in custody for three months pending investigation. Polish authorities claim that the man was recruited by Russian intelligence services and was preparing to carry out their task.
The operation was conducted by Polish law enforcement and security services in cooperation with the American side. Poland's Minister Coordinator of Special Services Tomasz Siemoniak specified that the target of the alleged assassination was specifically a US citizen of Ukrainian origin.
Tusk called the incident an unprecedented case. According to him, Polish authorities are aware for the first time of an attempt, allegedly ordered by Russia, to attack an American citizen on the territory of another NATO state. The prime minister warned that Warsaw proceeds from the risk of further attempts by Russian intelligence services to pursue people abroad whom Moscow considers inconvenient.
The US State Department said it was aware of publications about this case but provided no additional details. The Russian Foreign Ministry, at the time the information emerged, did not publicly respond to the accusations of the Polish authorities.
In recent years, Poland has repeatedly reported investigations into the activities of alleged agents and saboteurs linked to Russian intelligence services. In July, Poland's Internal Security Agency, in particular, announced that a case had been sent to court against a person accused of carrying out sabotage tasks on behalf of Russian intelligence services.
A separate investigation continues after the June murder in Poland of Russian artist Robert Kuzovkov, known as Semyon Skreptsky, who had criticized the Russian authorities. At the time, Tusk stated that the crime bore signs of a political assassination but stressed that evidence was needed to conclude that it had been ordered by Russia.
In the current case, the guilt of the detained Russian has not yet been established by the court. His alleged connection to Russian intelligence services and preparation for the murder are the version of Polish law enforcement bodies.
Based on materials from: Reuters
