Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday that Russian intelligence services were behind the fire that destroyed the Marywilska 44 shopping center in Warsaw. The statement comes on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the blaze.
“We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping center in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by Russian special services,” Tusk said in a statement on X. “Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and are being sought.”
We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services. Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for. We will get you all!
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) May 11, 2025
Tusk’s announcement came after a year-long investigation into the May 12, 2024 fire that destroyed 1,400 shops and service points. In March, Tusk said that evidence from Lithuania pointed to Ukrainian citizens working for Russia as the arsonists. Polish prosecutors had earlier named a Belarusian refugee as a suspect.
Litewska prokuratura oświadczyła, że za podpaleniami w Wilnie i w Warszawie ( Marywilska) stoją rosyjskie służby specjalne. Zgodnie z naszymi podejrzeniami. Podobnie jak przy próbie podpalenia fabryki farb we Wrocławiu, Rosjanie wynajęli obywateli Ukrainy. Wyjątkowa perfidia.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) March 17, 2025
The Marywilska fire is linked to a similar arson attack on an IKEA store in Vilnius, Lithuania, on May 9, 2024. Lithuanian prosecutors said Russian military intelligence was behind that attack too.
In a joint statement, Justice Minister Adam Bodnar and Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said the arson was part of a coordinated sabotage campaign orchestrated by Russia. They added that Polish authorities are working closely with their counterparts in Lithuania, where some suspects are believed to have engaged in related operations.
“The Polish authorities are determined to hold accountable the perpetrators of the heinous acts of sabotage and those who directed them,” said Bodnar and Siemoniak.
Russia has denied any involvement in either the Warsaw or Vilnius fires.
