Polish authorities, cooperating with US intelligence, thwarted a Russian-ordered plot to assassinate a Ukrainian-American citizen in Warsaw. A Russian national recruited by Moscow's secret services was arrested on August 7, 2026. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated the victim was "uncomfortable" for the Kremlin, marking the first time Russia has targeted a US citizen on NATO territory. The incident highlights escalating Russian sabotage and targeted killings across Europe.
Warsaw assassination plot thwarted
- ▪Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the targeted Ukrainian-American citizen in the Warsaw plot was "uncomfortable for the Putin regime."
- ▪The Russian government has historically denied any involvement in targeted attacks and assassinations carried out abroad.
- ▪The Warsaw police stated that the suspect arrested on August 7, 2026, for the Warsaw assassination plot will be held in custody for three months.
- ▪Polish authorities arrested a Russian national on August 7, 2026, for allegedly planning to assassinate a Ukrainian-American citizen in Warsaw.
Russian targeted killings in Europe
- ▪Western intelligence officials have warned that Russia has intensified a campaign of targeted killings, sabotage, and arson across Europe since invading Ukraine in 2022.
- ▪Historical assassinations and attempts attributed to Russia by Western governments include the 2006 poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal.
- ▪European authorities have previously disrupted Russian-linked assassination plots targeting high-profile individuals, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Poland and a weapons company head in Germany.
- ▪In June 2026, Russian caricaturist and critic Robert Kuzovkov, known as Semyon Skrepetsky, was shot and killed in eastern Poland in what Prime Minister Donald Tusk called a political murder.
Polish-US intelligence cooperation
- ▪The operation to thwart the Warsaw assassination plot was conducted by Poland's Internal Security Agency and police in cooperation with United States intelligence services.
- ▪The United States State Department acknowledged reports of the thwarted Warsaw plot but stated it had no additional information to provide.
- ▪Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's minister overseeing intelligence services, confirmed that the targeted victim of the Warsaw plot was a United States citizen of Ukrainian origin.
NATO security implications
- ▪Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Poland and other allies must prepare for continued pressure and attempts by the Russian regime to eliminate inconvenient individuals globally.
- ▪Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the thwarted Warsaw plot represents the first time Russia has ordered an attack on a United States citizen on NATO territory.
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