Belarusian Charged with Setting Fire to Warsaw Store as Part of Russian Sabotage Campaign

In April 2024, Stepan K., a Belarusian national posing as an opposition refugee, set fire to a large OBI home improvement store on Radzymińska Street in Warsaw, Poland. Polish prosecutors state he operated under orders from Russian intelligence, remotely triggering incendiary devices at night to cause arson without endangering customers. The fire caused 3.5 million zloty (€835,000) in damage. This event was part of a broader Russian sabotage campaign, with links to other arson attacks in Central and Eastern Europe, notably a major fire at Warsaw's largest shopping center in May 2024. Stepan K. faces charges of terrorism and threatening life or property, carrying a potential sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment, and is in pretrial detention. The investigation includes cooperation with Lithuanian authorities and connections to an organised criminal group involving other agents, including a Ukrainian jailed previously for Russian sabotage in Poland. Authorities also reveal false identities and secret Russian contacts maintained by Stepan K. during his time in Poland. The case highlights Poland's ongoing struggle against Russian hybrid warfare including sabotage and cyberwarfare.