WARSAW, Aug 20 (Reuters) – Poland has arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of attempting to assassinate a representative of Ukraine’s arms industry on behalf of Russian intelligence services, prosecutors and the Internal Security Agency (ABW) said on Thursday.
Western countries and Ukraine have long accused Russia of recruiting people, including Ukrainians, to carry out sabotage and espionage. Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations.
The Russian embassy in Poland did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
The suspect, identified only as Serhii P. under Polish privacy laws, is accused of trying to kill a representative of Ukraine’s arms industry in Irpin, near Kyiv.
“The investigation revealed that Serhii P. planted an improvised explosive device under a car used by a potential victim,” ABW said in a statement.
“The device was intended to be detonated remotely using a cell phone. The mechanism did not detonate due to a malfunction,” it added.
After the failed attempt, the suspect fled to Poland, where he was arrested in Warsaw. He was charged with attempted murder using explosives and possession of explosives without the required permit.
He faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison or life imprisonment, prosecutors said.
“The case demonstrates that Russian intelligence services conduct operations that transcend national borders and utilise individuals travelling between countries,” ABW said.
Earlier this month, Poland arrested a Russian citizen accused of being recruited by Moscow to kill a Ukrainian-American citizen in Warsaw.
(Reporting by Anna Koper. Additional reporting by Marek Strzelecki. Editing by Mark Potter)
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