hree men — Serhii R., Pavlo T., and Wladyslaw I. — have been sentenced for their roles in an organized criminal group engaged in sabotage and terrorism, Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office announced on Friday. The group is believed to have operated under the influence of Russian intelligence services and is linked to a series of arson attacks across Central and Eastern Europe, including the devastating fire at Warsaw’s Marywilska 44 shopping center.
The verdict, issued on September 18, 2025, but made public several weeks later, concluded that the accused took part in a transnational network active in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, and Russia between 2023 and 2024. The network carried out large-scale arson attacks aimed at intimidating the public and undermining political stability in the European Union. According to prosecutors, the actions were coordinated and deliberate, representing a new phase of Russian hybrid warfare against the West.
Investigators revealed that the fire at Marywilska 44, which destroyed one of Warsaw’s largest commercial centers in May 2024, was not an accident but a deliberate act of sabotage carried out on behalf of the Russian Federation’s intelligence services. The same network is suspected of being behind other attacks, including the fire at an OBI store in Warsaw in April 2024, the arson of an IKEA store in Vilnius in May 2024, and preparations for a similar attack against another IKEA store in Riga. These operations, according to investigators, formed part of a coordinated campaign designed to spread fear, disrupt local economies, and damage confidence in European security structures.
Prosecutors stated that Serhii R. and Pavlo T. were also found guilty of assisting one of the main suspects in the Marywilska and IKEA arson cases. They arranged his stay in a Warsaw hotel, purchased airline tickets, provided logistical support to facilitate his escape from Poland to the Czech Republic, and later covered the costs of his accommodation in Austria. Pavlo T. was sentenced to five years and six months in prison, Serhii R. received two and a half years, and Wladyslaw I. was given one year and four months. The verdict is not yet final.
The case forms part of a wider investigation led by the National Prosecutor’s Office into a Russian-directed sabotage network operating within the European Union. Security experts suggest that these activities reflect a broader Kremlin strategy of hybrid warfare — the use of criminal proxies, disinformation, and covert operations to destabilize European societies without open military confrontation. The series of arson attacks represents an attempt to test the resilience of EU states and to demonstrate the reach of Russian intelligence operations across the continent.
For now, the convictions of the three men mark a small but important step in dismantling the network. The Polish authorities, working closely with partners in Lithuania, Latvia, and Ukraine, continue to pursue those responsible for ordering and organizing the attacks. The investigation underscores how modern European security is increasingly challenged not only by cyber threats but also by covert acts of sabotage carried out in the heart of the continent.
