Both men face charges related to terrorism and espionage. Daniil B. was detained in Lithuania, where he is in temporary custody, while Oleksandr V. remains at large in Russia.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
Polish truckers plan to restrict freight traffic at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine's State Border Guard said on May 12.
"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties," Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
"Perhaps in some areas, the intensity decreased slightly to create an image of compliance with their own announcement. But in reality, (Russia) continued attacks every day, using all available weapons — including aircraft to drop guided bombs on Ukraine," Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said.
Beijing supports all efforts toward achieving peace in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on May 12 when asked about Kyiv and Europe's proposal for a 30-day truce.
"I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people," Zelensky said.
Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak voiced doubt about leading negotiations with anyone from Russia except President Vladimir Putin, implying only the Russian leader can make real decisions.
This includes at least seven people injured in drone attacks overnight on May 12, a date from which Kyiv and its allies put forward a demand for a 30-day unconditional truce, a step that Moscow continues to reject.
"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee Palace reacted to a fake story pushed by Russia.
Russian flag is seen on the Russian Consulate General in Krakow, Poland on February 18, 2024. (Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto)
Editor's note: The article was updated with reporting that the Polish Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador.
Poland has revoked a permission for Russia to operate a consulate in Krakow over evidence that Russian intelligence services orchestrated an arson attack in Warsaw last year, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 12.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
"In view of evidence that it was the Russian intelligence services that carried out the reprehensible sabotage act against the shopping center at Marywilska Street, I have decided to withdraw permission for the operation of the Russian consulate in Krakow," Sikorski wrote on X.
Russian Ambassador Sergei Andreev was summoned to Poland’s Foreign Ministry on May 12 to receive a diplomatic note formally withdrawing consent for the operation of Russia’s consulate in Krakow, Polish outlet RMF 24 reported.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Henryka Moscicka-Dendys reportedly said Russia will be given a deadline, typically at least 30 days, to shut down the post, while its consulate in Gdansk will remain open.
On May 12, 2024, a massive fire destroyed a shopping center in Warsaw, which housed approximately 1,400 stores.
Polish Justice Minister Adam Bodnar and Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak also confirmed Moscow’s role in the attack, citing detailed intelligence. Some of the perpetrators have already been detained.
"We have in-depth knowledge of the order and course of the arson and the way in which the perpetrators documented it. Their actions were organized and directed by an identified person staying in the Russian Federation," the ministers said, according to Reuters.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, through spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, condemned Warsaw’s move and warned that Russia "will respond."
Western intelligence officials have warned about increasing Russian sabotage operations across Europe. Arson attacks have previously targeted other EU countries, raising suspicions of a coordinated Russian effort to destabilize the countries that support Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Polish authorities are cooperating with Lithuania, where the detained suspects allegedly carried out additional sabotage attacks.
Lithuanian authorities previously said they suspect Russia's intelligence services of orchestrating arson attacks on an IKEA warehouse in Vilnius, and had also linked Russia to the Warsaw shopping center attack.
The attack on the Ikea warehouse caused an estimated 500,000 euros ($545,000) in damage.
Officials did not provide additional details about the investigation into the fire or the suspects detained.
A number of suspected spy networks, allegedly run by Minsk and Moscow, have been uncovered in Poland over the past years.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Dmytro Basmat
