Poland Arrests 11 Ukrainians, Belarusians for Russian-Funded Refugee Protests

Poland has arrested nine Ukrainian and two Belarusian nationals on charges of organizing paid demonstrations among Ukrainian refugees, allegedly funded by Russia. Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak announced the arrests on June 29, highlighting a documented instance of Russian-backed influence operations targeting Ukraine's refugee diaspora within a NATO member state, utilizing Ukrainian citizens against their own nation's interests.

The suspects were involved in recruiting and compensating participants to attend what Siemoniak described as «demonstrations» among Ukrainians in Poland, a scheme that reportedly began in autumn 2025. Siemoniak stated, «According to the Internal Security Agency, the funds for this purpose came from Russia. This is classified as an attempt at an influence operation targeting Ukrainian migrants in Poland.» All 11 individuals are slated for deportation.

Polish law enforcement indicated that the organizers exploited politically sensitive issues, including reports of corruption scandals in Ukraine, to incite emotions and provoke protests within the Ukrainian refugee community. Authorities noted that the stated objective was to manipulate the sentiment of the refugee population and leverage participants to disseminate specific political slogans.

Rzeczpospolita reported that Poland's Internal Security Agency identified the hybrid influence operation's goal as undermining public trust, escalating tensions, and exploiting Ukrainian refugees as tools for Russian intelligence services.