Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Sunday that Russian secret services were responsible for a large fire that severely damaged a Warsaw shopping center in May 2024. The announcement comes after a year-long investigation into the incident.
“We already know for sure that the large fire on Marywilska was the result of arson ordered by Russian services,” Tusk stated on X. “The actions were coordinated by a person staying in Russia. Some of the perpetrators are already in custody, the rest have been identified and are being sought.”
Polish officials have described the incident as part of a “hybrid war” waged by Russia to destabilize countries supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. These tactics include arson and cyberattacks.
Justice Minister Adam Bodnar and Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said in a joint statement that Polish investigators are collaborating with authorities in Lithuania, where some of the perpetrators also engaged in sabotage activities.
“We have in-depth knowledge of the order and course of the arson and the way in which the perpetrators documented it. Their actions were organized and directed by an identified person staying in the Russian Federation,” they said. “The Polish authorities are determined to hold accountable the perpetrators of the heinous acts of sabotage and those who directed them.”
In March, Lithuanian prosecutors accused Russia’s military intelligence of orchestrating an arson attack on an IKEA store in Vilnius, which occurred three days before the Warsaw shopping center fire.
Russia has denied any involvement in the arson attacks.
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