Poland Opens Terrorism Probe Into Fire at Drone Factory

Polish prosecutors announced that they had opened a terrorism investigation into a fire at a drone factory that produces components for drones used by the Polish and Ukrainian militaries. The fire broke out early Monday, Aug. 31, at around 12:23 a.m. local time at a WB Electronics plant in Skarżysko-Kamienna, southern Poland, Polish media reported. Surveillance footage reportedly showed a masked person entering the facility shortly before the blaze.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Around the same time, an intrusion alarm was triggered, prompting a security company monitoring the site to alert police. Fire deliberately set AFP, citing Polish prosecutors, reported that the fire was deliberate, though no suspects have been publicly identified. It reportedly took firefighters two hours to bring the blaze under control. The prosecution said the investigation concerns “participation in the activities of a foreign intelligence service directed against the Republic of Poland and for a terrorist offense.” The incident adds to a series of suspected sabotage and espionage incidents that Polish and other EU authorities have described as part of Russia’s hybrid campaign against NATO countries. As diplomacy has stalled, Russia sees no other way than to intensify attacks on both Ukraine and its allies. According to Bloomberg, citing Kremlin-linked sources, Moscow increasingly sees Ukrainian strikes as attacks by NATO, because alliance members are supplying Kyiv with weapons and intelligence Other Topics of Interest 6 Wounded, Including a Child, in Russian Strikes on Dnipropetrovsk Region Russian forces used drones, artillery, and a guided aerial bomb (KAB) to strike communities across the Nikopol, Kryvyi Rih, Synelnykove, and Pavlohrad districts. “The current stage of hostilities isn’t the peak of military escalation,” the sources said. Regional security concerns Earlier on Monday, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft about 30 km (roughly 19 miles) north of the town of Łeba. Just a day earlier, on Aug. 30, Ukrainska Pravda reported that Poland issued air-raid warnings to residents of Lublin Voivodeship during a large-scale Russian attack on western Ukraine, amid the risk of drones entering Polish airspace. During one of such attacks on July 30, a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile – capable of carrying a nuclear warhead – entered Polish airspace and crashed on its territory, sparking debate over Poland’s public-warning system. Following the incident, the government announced changes to the system. Besides Poland, several other countries, including Moldova and Romania, have reported Russian drones violating their airspace. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said some drones entering the country’s airspace are not accidental strays, but rather deliberately sent there by Russia. Separately, on Aug. 28, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Russia is actively preparing for a regional escalation, describing the next seven to eight months as critical for the security of Ukraine and Poland. Tusk also noted that Warsaw maintains constant contact with the CIA, meaning agency Director John Ratcliffe’s unannounced visit to Moscow did not come as a surprise to the Polish government. Seeking to bolster its capabilities in the event of a potential confrontation with Moscow, Polish special forces are taking part in US-led drills focused on drone warfare. The exercise was initially developed for the Green Berets, the US Army’s special forces and was designed around Ukraine’s battlefield experience in its war with Russia. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.