Prosecutors in Poland have accused an 18-year-old Ukrainian national of performing sabotage operations for Russian intelligence services intended to spark discord between Poland and Ukraine.

The individual, referred to as Illia K under privacy regulations, faces 47 criminal charges for actions carried out from November 2024 until his arrest in August 2025.

The reported sabotage involved defacing memorials dedicated to Polish victims of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, known for its role in the deaths of tens of thousands of Poles during the Second World War Volhynia massacres.

Poland's Internal Security Agency stated that the purpose was to incite ethnic tensions between Poland and Ukraine.

Although the suspect acted mainly for financial gain rather than ideological motives, prosecutors indicated that most acts served the interests of foreign intelligence.

The agency noted it opened 48 espionage investigations last year, more than twice the number from 2024, as Russian services targeted Poland's international reputation and exploited historical ethnic disputes, especially in Polish-Ukrainian ties.

The teenager was also charged with preparing to fly a drone over President Karol Nawrocki's vehicle during the Armed Forces Day parade in Warsaw on August 15 last year and was detained three days before the event.

Facing a possible life sentence, he allegedly recruited participants for the crimes and paid them using cryptocurrencies registered in Russia and China.

Tasks were assigned through a messaging service by an unidentified contact, with the suspect sending photos as proof of completion.

He is accused of vandalizing the Monument to the Jewish Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto as well as memorials to Volhynia victims in Domostawa and Wrocław by adding inscriptions and symbols praising the UPA.

During the 1943-1944 Volhynia massacres, up to one hundred thousand Poles were killed as the UPA sought an independent Ukraine.

The issue has long strained relations between the two countries, with exhumations of victims' remains recently resuming after earlier restrictions.

The matter resurfaced in May when President Zelensky issued a decree honoring a military unit with the name of UPA heroes.

In response, Nawrocki revoked Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state honor, an action taken only once before in three centuries.

Expert Wojciech Konończuk noted differing views on the UPA, with Ukrainians seeing them as fighters against Soviet forces after 1945 while Poles recall their earlier role in mass killings of civilians.