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.
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Pawel K. faces up to 8 years in prison if convicted.
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