Poland expels 11 over Russia-funded scheme to pay Ukrainian refugees to protest against Kyiv
ABW and border guards detained nine Ukrainians and two Belarusians in five Polish cities and expelled all 11 within hours; since autumn 2025, Russian money had funded a network that recruited refugees to attend anti-Zelensky demonstrations
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Summary
ABW and border guards detained nine Ukrainian and two Belarusian nationals in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Krakow, Zakopane and Bydgoszcz on Monday and expelled all 11, dismantling a Russia-backed influence operation. Since autumn 2025, the network had recruited and paid Ukrainian refugees in Poland to attend anti-Kyiv demonstrations, using corruption scandals and domestic Ukrainian political tensions as bait. Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak confirmed funding came from Russia; Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation linked direction to the GRU, Russia's foreign military intelligence agency.
Why it matters
Warsaw's operation confirms Moscow is turning war-displaced Ukrainians inside a NATO member state into instruments of covert political disruption. Poland hosts roughly 900,000 Ukrainian refugees, the largest such population in Europe, and is a high-priority target for Russian hybrid operations.