Polish prosecutors have charged an 18-year-old Ukrainian man, identified only as Illia K, with carrying out sabotage on behalf of Russian intelligence in an alleged effort to stir up tensions between Poland and Ukraine. He faces 47 criminal counts covering acts committed between November 2024 and his arrest in August 2025, and could receive a life sentence if convicted. The case reflects Poland's growing concern about Russian espionage and sabotage operations exploiting historical grievances between the two neighbouring countries.

The alleged acts included vandalising the Monument to the Jewish Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto and memorials to Polish victims of the Volhynia massacre, daubing them with symbols glorifying the UPA, the Ukrainian nationalist group blamed for killing up to 100,000 Poles during the Second World War. He is also accused of plotting to fly a drone over President Karol Nawrocki's vehicle during last August's Armed Forces' Day parade, and of recruiting and paying accomplices using cryptocurrency linked to Russia and China. Prosecutors say he acted for money rather than ideology, but that most acts served foreign intelligence interests; Poland's ABW security agency reported launching 48 espionage investigations last year, more than double 2024's total, citing Russian exploitation of Polish-Ukrainian historical tensions.