In Poland, a Ukrainian recruited by Russians was sentenced for planning to set fire to a factory in Wrocław.

A 51-year-old Ukrainian, Serhiy S., has been sentenced for preparing acts of sabotage in Poland on behalf of Russian special services. The Wrocław court issued the verdict, sentencing the accused to eight years in prison, according to RAP.

The Ukrainian citizen was arrested by the Polish Internal Security Agency in January 2024. He was charged with being part of an organized criminal group that was preparing and organizing acts of sabotage on orders from Russian services. The perpetrators planned to set fire to various sites in Wrocław. The Lower Silesian branch of the Wrocław prosecutor's office has charged five suspects, including a Polish citizen and two Belarusians.

RMF reports that the defendant did not admit guilt; his explanations were inconsistent, illogical, and insincere. In contrast, numerous collected physical evidence pointed to his guilt.

“Among the indisputable evidence, the court highlighted the fact that surveillance cameras recorded Serhiy S. and his phone a few hundred meters from the paint warehouse they planned to set on fire, near the fuel depot of the 'Orlen' company, which stored many tons of fuel,” the Polish website states.

According to the judge, Serhiy S.'s wife was aware of everything, purchasing tickets for her husband, and money was transferred to her card, while after his arrest, the orderer of this sabotage contacted her. However, during the investigation, she was a witness. Nonetheless, the prosecutor stated that the investigation is also looking into her involvement.

Initially, the prosecutor requested a sentence for Serhiy S. without a court trial and persuaded him to agree to 3 years of imprisonment. However, the Wrocław court rejected this request and insisted on a full judicial review. The prosecutor then demanded 5 years of imprisonment. Ultimately, the court's sentence was to imprison the 51-year-old Serhiy S. for eight years. Judge Marcin Mychkowski emphasized that the punishment must be severe and serves as a clear signal both for the convicted and for all potential followers. The prosecutor added that the investigation is ongoing, and a queue of new suspects is forming.

As reported by ZAXID.NET, during the investigation, the 51-year-old Serhiy S. revealed that after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, he illegally fled from Odesa to Moldova, after which he moved to Germany with his wife. Before Serhiy lived in Ukraine, he met a man on Telegram under the nickname Lucky Strike, who identified himself as Oleksiy and criticized the Ukrainian authorities in their correspondence. In January 2024, when Serhiy S. moved to Germany, Oleksiy contacted him and offered to set fire to the paint factory in Wrocław. In return, he promised to pay $4,000.