WARSAW — Poland thwarted an alleged Russian plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen of Ukrainian origin in Warsaw, Polish officials said on Thursday, detaining a suspect they said had been recruited by Russian security services.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the case marked the first known attempt by Russia to target an American citizen on the territory of another NATO member. The suspect was detained by Polish authorities on Aug. 7 and has been ordered held in custody for three months, according to Warsaw police.
Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s minister responsible for coordinating intelligence services, said the operation was conducted in cooperation with U.S. intelligence agencies. Officials did not identify the intended victim or provide details about the alleged assassination plan, citing the ongoing investigation and legal restrictions.
Tusk said the target had been viewed as a threat by the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He was inconvenient from the point of view of Putin’s regime,” Tusk said, without elaborating on the person’s activities or why Russian authorities allegedly sought to target him.
Polish authorities have not publicly presented evidence establishing that the Russian government ordered the planned killing. The Russian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while the U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports about the case but had no additional information.
The alleged plot comes amid heightened concern among European governments over Russian intelligence operations and acts of sabotage linked to Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Western officials have accused Russian security services of targeting activists, military defectors and foreign supporters of Ukraine, and authorities in several European countries have reported disrupting alleged assassination plots.
Poland has previously arrested a suspect in an alleged Russian-backed plot to gather information that could have helped prepare an attack against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Polish authorities have also investigated other cases involving suspected Russian sabotage and intelligence activity.
Tusk said Poland and other NATO countries must be prepared for further attempts to target people deemed inconvenient by Moscow. The Warsaw suspect remains in custody while the investigation continues.
