Belarusian National Indicted for Planning Foreign Intelligence Sabotage in Poland

On July 27, 2026, an indictment was filed against a Belarusian citizen accused of preparing an act of sabotage targeting a large-scale warehouse in Chełm on behalf of foreign intelligence.

Indictment Filed Against Vitalij S.

On July 27, 2026, the court received an indictment against Belarusian citizen Vitalij S. The man faces charges of preparing an act of sabotage for a foreign intelligence service, with his target designated as a large-scale warehouse in Chełm.

ABW Arrests Suspect Linked to Foreign Intelligence

According to the Internal Security Agency (ABW), gathered evidence indicates that Vitalij S. was preparing to set fire to a warehouse located in the Lublin Voivodeship. The ABW assessed that his actions could have led to an event threatening property on a massive scale.

Detailed Sabotage Plans and Cryptocurrency Payment

Internal Security Agency officers prevented the sabotage being prepared by the 28-year-old Belarusian. Working as a bartender in a Lublin restaurant, the man developed a plan to burn down a huge, large-scale warehouse in Chełm, as announced on Friday by Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for the Minister Coordinator of Special Services. Acting on orders from a foreign intelligence service, the man conducted reconnaissance of the designated facility, recorded a video of the warehouse, and delivered the prepared documentation to his handler, receiving cryptocurrency remuneration for the task.

Recruitment and the transmission of orders were carried out via the Telegram messenger application, marking another instance where this platform was used to order sabotage activities on Polish territory, the ABW reports.

Charges, Penalties, and Custody Status

The prosecutor charged Vitalij S. with preparation for the qualified crime of espionage specified in Article 130 of the Penal Code, alongside charges for possession of narcotic substances. He faces up to 8 years of imprisonment, with the indictment officially submitted to the court on July 27, 2026.

Thanks to the efficient work of ABW officers, the preparations for the act of sabotage were detected and thwarted before execution. The Belarusian was detained on August 13, 2025, and has remained in custody since then, Dobrzyński noted.