A third major fire in less than a week broke out in Poland on Monday, prompting the authorities to suspect that the incidents may be linked to hybrid operations by Russian intelligence services.
The latest fire broke out in a warehouse in Siemianowice Ślaskie in southern Poland. This follows a fire in a residential building in Ząbki, near Warsaw, on 1 July, and a fire in a production hall in Mińsk Mazowiecki, around 35 km from the capital, on Sunday.
Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on Monay that in light of Russia’s hybrid tactics, the government is treating all major fires with increased scrutiny.
"Since January 2024, we have seen several attempted acts of sabotage. Every significant incident, fire, or attempted arson is being assessed as a potential act of sabotage," he said during a press conference.
The suspicion of Russian involvement intensified after a massive shopping center in Marywilska, Warsaw, burned down in May. The government later said it had evidence linking Russian intelligence to the incident. In response, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski ordered the closure of Russia’s consulate in Kraków.
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38 Comments
huppakee@feddit.nl · 12 pts · 1y
An article was posted in this community 3 days ago titled The Wild Russian Plot to Burn a London Restaurant and Kidnap Its Owner by the New York Times about how "a criminal gang in Britain was directed to target Yevgeny Chichvarkin, a dissident Russian who owns Hide, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Mayfair". This is what I commented on that post:
rottingleaf@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y
So funny, such a "dissident" to reach there in Yeltsin and Putin years.
huppakee@feddit.nl · 1 pts · 1y
I'm not sure i get what you mean, why put dissident between quotation marks? Do you doubt he is?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evgeny_Chichvarkin
rottingleaf@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y
He's a Russian businessman who became one in the last 35 years. He's "dissident" in the sense that he picked the wrong side.
Khodorkovsky's close associate has been named by French, I think, police as the main suspect for ordering an attack on a Russian opposition figure recently.
Look up Navalny's organization's opinions of all those people. Navalny was a controversial figure for many intents and purposes, and I really hope he didn't return to Russia because of getting desperate and tired of idiots like me mentioning those controversies. His organization might not parrot the western narratives the way Khodor and others do, but it is genuine.
huppakee@feddit.nl · 1 pts · 1y
Well he was still targeted, so I'd argue that alone still makes him a dissident. But my point isn't really about this individual guy but about how Russia systematically targets places and people in Europe for various reasons all benefiting the Russian regime and European governments don't publicly call Russia out for those things. If anything happens, it is 'quite diplomacy' or counter intelligents that nobody ever hears about and I'm not okay with that.
rottingleaf@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y
That's because western elites are generally fine with Putin. Him being the adversary is business as usual.
While us boors not liking him they are less tolerant about.
Which is also why the main group of Russians with no impediments in Europe are Putin's friends and propagandists and all that kind.
MisterMoo@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1y
Article 5.
BaroqueInMind@piefed.social · 5 pts · 1y
If USA can summon Art-5 over fake WMDs, sure as fuck Poland can over this event.
Saleh@feddit.org · 4 pts · 1y
Can? Yes. However article 5 only demands countries to bring what they believe is necessary to defend the country that invoked article 5. So if the US sends a firefighting truck and the crew to man it, they could claim to have done enough.
Also for the Iraq invasion, it was easy and there was little to no doubt that the "coalition of the willing" among them Poland and other NATO members, would roll in on the back of the US. Poland got itself access to some Iraqi oilfields it could exploit. That was more like a viking raid on a village whose guard is just the local farmer youth.
I think when it comes to the current situation many countries are reluctant to put NATO to the test, as they are scared for NATO to be revealed to be divided and weak.
rottingleaf@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y
Would be the other way, if USA can use it over fakes, then its actuality for real purposes is less certain.
Bloomcole@crazypeople.online · -5 pts · 1y
the_wiz@feddit.org · 3 pts · 1y
sigh
I hope you are currently enlisted in your army or in the reserve?
BaroqueInMind@piefed.social · 2 pts · 1y
What? Why does that matter if he/she is or isn't? Please elaborate.
the_wiz@feddit.org · 2 pts · 1y
I am just sick of civilians crying for war without having their own asses put out in the fire.
pressanykeynow@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y
To be fair in case of nuclear war civilians will put their asses in the fire.
the_wiz@feddit.org · 2 pts · 1y
In case of nuclear war everything will burn to ashes, this is the reason why there will be no nuclear war.
pressanykeynow@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y
Do you think world leaders like Trump, Putin and Xi have the same opinion as you on this? Are nuclear weapons just for show? And if so, why are Israel and the US so nervous about nukes in Iran?
the_wiz@feddit.org · 0 pts · 1y
TrumpTrumps handlers, Putin, Xi? Absolutely.Chomeini and his fellows? Well, this is another story... religious fanatics don't tend to work with the same OS than everybody else...
Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 1y
Are you polish? Are you on the border or victim of russian agression?
the_wiz@feddit.org · 2 pts · 1y
German, spend quiet a few years in the german army and currently in reserve.
Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 0 pts · 1y
Then you should know that in war the homefront is as essential as the fighting front. Without the home front there wont be any weapons, ammo, rations, aso..
What branch were you in and what rank? As military personal you swore to protect democracy, and the freedom. We are already at war with russia and china and have been for a long time.
Plus lets be honest, russia lost its entire army in ukraine. They cant even hold that bit of land. It wont be a fight against them.
rottingleaf@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y
Your countries are part of an empire, their possible home front is intentionally limited for these. Due to US unreliability they are changing, but it's not yet done.
the_wiz@feddit.org · 0 pts · 1y
This is something i personaly see as a somewhat lame excuse... if you call for war, be ready to fight it.
Heer (so, the infantry) and Stabsunteroffizier (i think this would be equivalent to a lance seargant).
Bloomcole@crazypeople.online · -6 pts · 1y
Glitterbomb@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y
Russophobia is like anime tiddies. It's not real but it still gets my dick hard.
Bloomcole@crazypeople.online · -3 pts · 1y
A_norny_mousse@feddit.org · 7 pts · 1y
I tend to believe them. And I know it's always hard to substantiate claims of Russian sabotage even though it's undeniably happening. But I'd still like to see how they argue that Russia is behind this.
Bloomcole@crazypeople.online · -5 pts · 1y
sad_detective_man@leminal.space · 5 pts · 1y
about how many weeks out are we from "Nazi gangs" being discovered in Poland that Russia must invade to protect them from?
A_norny_mousse@feddit.org · 3 pts · 1y
Probably zero. But an actual invasion is unlikely. That would be like a bully choosing to attack the strongest kid, not the weakest.
rottingleaf@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y
Poland has a military.
SebaDC@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 1y
"we condemn this act of war against us! Please, stop doing this!"
nomotetoads@lemmings.world · -2 pts · 1y
Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org · 9 pts · 1y
This ranks certainly among the most derailed, out-of-touch forms of whataboutism I've ever seen. It would be laughable if it were not so serious.
huppakee@feddit.nl · 6 pts · 1y
Acount is 2 hours old, all of his comments on multiple instances were removed by mods. Guess it shows moderation is working well on Lemmy.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 1y
any russian related, you can expect some form propaganda bots appearing.
nomotetoads@lemmings.world · -6 pts · 1y