WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland has arrested nine people in connection with acts of sabotage committed in the country on the orders of Russian services, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said late on Monday.
Warsaw says its position as a hub for supplies to Ukraine has made it a key target for Russian intelligence services, and accuses Moscow of trying to destabilise the country.
"We currently have nine suspects arrested and charged with engaging in acts of sabotage in Poland directly on behalf of the Russian services," Tusk told private broadcaster TVN24. "This includes beatings, arson and attempted arson."
He said Poland was collaborating with its allies on the issue and that the plots also affected Lithuania, Latvia and possibly also Sweden.
The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Tusk said earlier this month Poland would allocate an additional 100 million zlotys ($25.53 million) to its intelligence services due to the threat from Russia.
In April, two Poles were detained in Poland on suspicion of attacking Leonid Volkov, an exiled top aide to late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The Polish prime minister said at that time that Poland had also detained a Belarusian citizen working for Russia who was suspected of ordering the attack.
Another Polish citizen was arrested in Poland in April and charged with plans to cooperate with Russian foreign intelligence services in preparation for a possible attempt to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The Kremlin declined to comment on the case at the time.
Media have also reported a detention of a Pole who was suspected of threatening Russian economist and activist Maxim Mironov and attacking his wife in Argentina. ($1 = 3.9168 zlotys)
(Reporting by Alan Charlish and Karol Badohal; Aditional reporting by Anna Koper; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Alex Richardson)
