Arrest of Ukrainian suspect in Warsaw
Poland’s Central Investigation Bureau of Police (CBSP) anti-terrorism officers detained a 25-year-old Ukrainian citizen, identified as Artem S. under Polish privacy law, in Warsaw on Tuesday. The detention follows a European Arrest Warrant issued by Romania concerning an arson attack on a defense company. The fire broke out in the early hours of 14 September in the city of Brasov, Romania, in the immediate vicinity of premises belonging to Carfil. Carfil is a manufacturer of military equipment and functions as a subsidiary of the state-owned defense company ROMARM. According to the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), a "sabotage network coordinated from Russia" caused the fire. The SRI stated that several citizens of former Soviet states who reside in the EU participated in the arson attack. Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) confirmed that the suspects included the Ukrainian individual and two Belarusians who were already detained in Germany. These Belarusians were reportedly preparing to commit similar acts. Polish broadcaster RMF reports that the role of Artem S. in the Brasov attack involved identifying a target and arranging payment for those involved. The Romanian Intelligence Service revealed that the group’s coordinators in Russia assigned them a wide range of targets across the region, including state-owned and private arms manufacturing facilities and sites of military and industrial interest. This follows arson attacks in Poland on a drone plant for WB Electronics in August and a Starlink ground station the following month. Poland remains a primary target for Russia’s campaign of sabotage and other hybrid actions in Europe, where many of those detained have been Ukrainian or Belarusian citizens. A Polish court will now decide if the 25-year-old should be extradited to Romania.
Court summons for President Nawrocki
A Warsaw court ruled on October 27 that President Karol Nawrocki must testify on January 18, 2027, in his civil lawsuit against the news portal Onet. The lawsuit follows allegations published by Onet on May 26, 2025. Natasza Geldon, who worked alongside him in security during 2006 and 2007, testified that the future president suggested earning money by bringing women to guests. Geldon told the court she saw him accompany a man and a woman into a lift serving guest rooms, noting the behavior looked as if "a pimp was walking in with a prostitute." When she questioned him, Nawrocki allegedly said she "could earn extra money by bringing women to guests," though Geldon said she rejected the suggestion. Another former security employee, Lukasz Franczak, told the court he was unaware of any organized prostitution procurement operation at the hotel and had never witnessed Nawrocki arranging prostitutes for guests. The court opened the proceedings to the public on October 27, reversing the secrecy of earlier hearings. Nawrocki rejected the allegations as lies and seeks an apology from the publisher. The January hearing is also expected to hear final submissions before a judgment is reached.
