A Polish man has been arrested and charged in Poland on suspicion of planning to co-operate with Russian foreign intelligence services in preparation for a possible attempt to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, prosecutors said on Thursday.

A hub for transporting Western military supplies to Ukraine, Poland says it has become a major target of Russian spies and accused Moscow and its ally Belarus of trying to destabilize it.

The man was apprehended on Wednesday thanks to co-operation between Polish and Ukrainian intelligence services, both countries said. If convicted of co-operating with foreign intelligence services, he could face up to eight years in prison.

“The findings of the investigation show that the suspect … declared his readiness to act for the military intelligence of the Russian Federation,” the Polish prosecution said in a statement.

Information sought about airport security

The man is alleged to have participated in collecting and providing information about security at Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, southeast Poland, which, the prosecution claims, could be used to help Russian special services plan a possible assassination of Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy, leading his country’s effort to fend off Russia’s invasion, said last autumn that security services have foiled at least five Russian plots to assassinate him.

“This case underscores the persistent threat Russia poses not only to Ukraine and Ukrainians but to the entire free world,” Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin wrote on social media platform X.

Separately, Germany authorities announced on Thursday that two German-Russian nationals had been arrested on suspicion of plotting sabotage attacks, including on U.S. military facilities, in what officials called a serious effort to undermine military support for Ukraine.