Polish authorities have launched a terrorism investigation into a fire at a major defence factory supplying drones to Ukraine, with suspicion falling on Russian intelligence services. The Polish National Prosecution Office announced the probe on Monday, saying it was examining "participation in the activities of a foreign intelligence service directed against the Republic of Poland and a terrorist offence, consisting of deliberately causing a fire" at the WB Electronics facility.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight at the WB Electronics plant in Skarżysko-Kamienna, a town south of Warsaw. Firefighters took roughly two hours to bring the blaze under control. No injuries were reported, though damage has been estimated at approximately 15 million Polish złoty — around 3.5 million euros. WB Electronics is one of Poland's largest private defence companies, producing loitering munitions, reconnaissance drones, fire-control systems, and military communications platforms. Its FlyEye and Warmate drones are used by both the Polish and Ukrainian militaries on the front lines. Poland's Internal Security Agency is assisting police with the investigation, though officials have declined to release further details, citing the "specific and confidential nature" of the inquiry. No suspect has yet been arrested.
The incident fits a broader pattern of suspected Russian sabotage operations across Europe targeting facilities and logistics networks supporting Ukraine. Earlier this month, German authorities discovered an explosive-laden drone near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig airport, prompting Germany's interior minister to describe it as a "new level of threat" and a "hybrid attack scenario." Last week, Slovak police said they had thwarted a planned arson attack on a drone factory belonging to Skyeton, a Ukraine-based company producing drones for the Ukrainian military, leading to the arrest of three suspects in Slovakia and Germany. A group calling itself "Global Citizens Against War 1984" claimed responsibility for planning that attack.
European intelligence agencies have warned of a marked increase in Russian hybrid operations — a term covering infrastructure sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation — aimed at disrupting Western support for Ukraine and sowing political division. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk highlighted the threat in August, announcing the detention of a Russian national allegedly recruited to carry out an assassination in Warsaw. Poland, which shares a border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and the Russian ally Belarus, has significantly increased its defence spending in recent years in response to the threat it perceives from Moscow. The WB Electronics investigation underscores how that threat is increasingly taking the form of covert action on European soil.