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Poland says it foiled Russian plot in Warsaw
Summary
A look back at the claim by Poland's prime minister that an alleged Russian-directed killing plot was stopped in the capital.
What did Poland say it had prevented on 13 August 2026? Prime minister Donald Tusk announced that Polish authorities, working with U.S. services, had foiled an alleged Russian plot to kill a Ukrainian-American citizen in Warsaw.
A suspect was arrested. The person is accused of acting for Russian intelligence.
Tusk described the case as the first such Russian-directed plot in another NATO country. That framing gave the announcement weight beyond a single criminal investigation: it placed a targeted killing attempt on the territory of an alliance member, and it showed Polish and American services working together on the case.
The wider context
The case belongs to a pattern of Russian citizens and others working for Russia being publicly identified as spies or agents during the Russo-Ukrainian war. Russia's intelligence services include the FSB, the SVR and the GRU, each with its own remit. The announcement did not name which service the suspect was said to serve.
What stood out on 13 August 2026 was the combination of elements: a named alleged target profile, a NATO capital, a suspect in custody and cooperation with U.S. services.
