Poland to try suspect in alleged Russian plot to assassinate Zelensky

Polish prosecutors have indicted a man charged with allegedly planning to assist Russian foreign intelligence in a possible assassination attempt on President Volodymyr Zelensky, authorities announced on May 20.

The person charged, identified as Pawel K., was arrested on April 17, 2024 in Poland following a joint investigation by Polish and Ukrainian authorities. He faces up to eight years in prison, according to a press release from Poland's National Prosecutor's Office.

According to investigators, Paweł K. expressed willingness to work for Russian military intelligence and established contact with Russian citizens directly involved in the war in Ukraine.

His tasks included collecting and providing information on security at the Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland, authorities said.

The press release also said that Pawel K.'s activities "were to help, among other things, in planning by the Russian special services a possible assassination attempt on the life of... the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky."

Poland, a staunch ally of Ukraine and key transit point for Western military aid to Ukraine, says it has become a major target for Russian espionage and destabilization efforts, including arson attacks and cyberattacks.

Most recently, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk blamed Russian hackers for cyberattacks ahead of Poland's presidential elections on May 18. In September 2024, the Polish government also accused Moscow and its ally Belarus of waging a "de facto cyberwar" on Poland.

Alongside its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has been accused of hybrid warfare, espionage, and sabotage across Europe.