Three men face trial in Poland over alleged Russia‑linked arson attacks

WARSAW, April 2 (Reuters) – Three men will go on trial in Poland over a series of arson attacks in Warsaw and the Baltic States that officials say were part of a Russian-orchestrated sabotage campaign, Polish prosecutors said on Thursday.

Poland has been targeted by sabotage including arson and cyberattacks, which officials say is part of a Russian “hybrid war” aimed at destabilising countries that support Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.

Russia has repeatedly denied its involvement.

On Thursday, prosecutors said they would soon begin the trial of the three men charged with sabotage linked to arson attacks in Warsaw and the Baltic States, but didn’t say when the trial would begin.

A Belarusian, identified only as Stepan K under Polish privacy laws, has been charged with setting fire to an OBI shop in Warsaw in April 2024.

Ukrainians Daniil B and Oleksandr H, have been charged with setting fire to an IKEA store in Vilnius, with the former also charged with planning to set fire to an IKEA in Riga and for recording the blazze which destroyed one of the biggest shopping malls in Warsaw – Marywilska 44.

‘DIRECT ORDERING PARTY’ FOR THE ARSON NOT YET IDENTIFIED

“The direct perpetrator of the arson attack on the hall at 44 Marywilska Street has not yet been identified as well as the direct ordering party for this arson,” National Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Przemyslaw Nowak said.

“The investigation into this criminal group of arsonists is still ongoing and this does not mean the end of this case,” he added.

All three men face up to a life sentence if found guilty.

Two more people – part of the same group – were charged with smaller crimes, Nowak added.

Last year, a Polish court handed prison sentences to three Ukrainians for their roles in the same string of fires in Poland and the Baltic states.

(Reporting by Anna Koper; Editing by Bernadette Baum)