Topline
A Polish man was arrested for serving as a double agent for Russia, declaring his “readiness” to provide information to Russian military authorities as part of a possible plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Polish officials announced Thursday.
Key Facts
The man, identified by Polish officials only as Pawel K., reported his readiness to act for Russia and established contacts with Russians “directly involved in the war in Ukraine,” according to a translation of a statement from Anna Adamiak, a spokesperson for Poland’s prosecutor general.
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, whose office provided evidence and information to Poland that led to the arrest, said Pawel K. “proactively established” contacts with Russian military command representatives and “informed them of his readiness” to cooperate with the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence arm.
Pawel K.’s tasks included providing the Russian government with information on the security at the Rzeszów-Jasionka airport, a small Polish airport near the border of Ukraine that’s become a hub for international aid, weapons shipments and the comings and goings of high-profile leaders like Zelensky since Russia’s war against Ukraine began in 2022.
This intel would have, among other things, been used to help Russian special services plan a possible assassination attempt against Zelensky while he was in Poland, Polish and Ukrainian officials said Thursday.
Polish officials made the arrest Wednesday and Pawel K. is being held under “temporary arrest,” Adamiak said—an investigation is ongoing and if convicted he could face up to eight years in prison.
Chief Critic
The arrest “underscores the persistent threat Russia poses not only to Ukraine and Ukrainians but to the entire free world,” argued Kostin in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. He accused Russia of organizing and carrying out “sabotage operations” targeting other states while “constantly trying to undermine European and global security.” The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Key Background
Poland and Ukraine have long been close allies and have worked closely together since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine. A Washington Post report last year found 80% of the world’s military aid to Ukraine flowed through Poland, with much of it arriving by air to the Rzeszów-Jasionka airport. The airport has also welcomed world leaders and other public figures amid the war, including President Joe Biden, among dozens of other presidents and prime ministers. Zelensky visited Poland in April 2023, in a fanfare-filled visit with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Crucial Quote
“It is just like COVID,” Zelensky once told the British tabloid The Sun of the “five or six” Russian assassination attempts he’s alleged to have faced, explaining the first assassination attempt was scary, but after that it becomes more routine.
