The District Court of Warsaw has sentenced three Ukrainian citizens accused of participating in an organized criminal group involved in a series of arsons in European Union countries, Polsat News and Fakt reported.
According to the prosecutor's office, the convicted individuals — Serhiy R., Pavlo T., and Vladislav Yu. — were part of a group operating in Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and Russia in 2023–2024. The criminals committed sabotage and terrorist acts aimed at setting fire to large facilities in EU countries to intimidate the population and influence public opinion.
The court found that the Ukrainians participated in the preparation of the arson attacks on the IKEA store in Vilnius (May 9, 2024) and the shopping center in Warsaw (May 12, 2024). They helped the perpetrator, Serhiy Chaly, hide and flee Poland by organizing his hotel accommodation, ticket purchases, and transportation through the Czech Republic to Austria.
Chaly's whereabouts are currently unknown - he is being sought by Interpol.
The court sentenced Pavlo T. to 5 years and 6 months in prison, Serhiy R. to 2 years and 6 months, and Vladyslav Yu. to 1 year and 4 months.
The verdict is not final and can be appealed. One of the defendants has already filed a motion for justification.
The investigation into the case is ongoing. According to prosecutors from the Mazovian Department for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Corruption, the group acted on behalf of Russian intelligence and may have been involved in a series of arsons in Poland and the Baltic countries.
