The National Prosecutor’s Office of Poland announced recently that it has filed charges against a man alleged to have been planning an assassination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on behalf of Russian intelligence. The investigation was a combined effort between Ukrainian and Polish authorities. The link to the official announcement can be found here.
The suspect, a Polish national identified as Paweł K, is accused of expressing a willingness to carry out activities for Russian intelligence. It has been reported that he was in contact with Russian citizens who were directly involved in the military conflicts in Ukraine. His alleged objectives included gathering information about the security of the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport. Moreover, he stands accused of assisting Russian special services in plotting a potential attack against President Zelensky.
The arrest took place in Poland. If convicted, Paweł K may face up to eight years of imprisonment.
Andriy Kostin, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, commented on the case via social media. His statement, available at this link
, emphasizes the continuous and serious threat Russia poses not only to Ukraine and Ukrainians but also to global security. He outlined how the Kremlin’s criminal regime consistently undermines European and international security through its organization and execution of sabotage operations on the territory of sovereign states.
It’s important to note that President Zelensky has been the target of numerous assassination attempts in recent years. He mentioned that on the first day of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Moscow had special forces airdropped into Kyiv with the mission to assassinate him.