Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy


What happened
Poland said Thursday it arrested a Polish man who was collaborating with Russian military intelligence to aid in a plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Hours earlier, Germany charged two Russian-German nationals with planning attacks at U.S. military facilities to sabotage aid to Ukraine.
Who said what
Polish prosecutors said the suspect, Pawel K, had agreed to give Russian spies security information about Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, a military aid staging stronghold about 60 miles from Ukraine, to help "Russian special services" plan a "possible attack" on Zelenskyy's life. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said security services prevented "possible explosive attacks" and thwarted "a particularly serious case of alleged spy activity for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's criminal regime." Russia's Berlin embassy called the charge an "outright provocation."
The commentary
Zelenskyy is "known to have flown out of Rzeszów-Jasionka on foreign visits," and Poland arrested a group of foreign citizens last year for installing cameras outside the airport, among other Russian espionage, the BBC said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Pawel K. faces up to 8 years in prison if convicted.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein
-
Judge halts GOP defunding of Planned Parenthood
Speed Read The Trump administration can't withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, said the ruling