Poland charges Russian man in sabotage plot
Polish prosecutors have charged a 28-year-old Russian citizen, Mikhail Mirgorodsky, in absentia for allegedly directing a network of saboteurs and spies operating inside Poland on behalf of Russia’s FSB.
Authorities say Mirgorodsky orchestrated sabotage, espionage and propaganda activities in 2023 using Telegram to command a group of around 30 operatives. Prosecutors accuse him of ordering arson attacks, threatening Ukrainians in Poland, financing crimes through cryptocurrency, and planning a thwarted attempt to derail a train, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Poland has repeatedly accused Russia and Belarus of waging a “hybrid war” involving sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation due to Warsaw’s strong support for Ukraine since the 2022 invasion. Moscow denies the allegations, calling them “Russophobia.”
The Internal Security Agency (ABW) said 16 members of the group — including Ukrainians, Belarusians and one Russian — were arrested in 2023 and sentenced to between 13 months and six years in prison. Eight more suspects, including Mirgorodsky, have now been charged, with several still at large outside Poland.
Investigators say the group used encrypted communication channels and received payments in cryptocurrency. Polish authorities are still working to identify at least six additional suspected members.
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