According to The Washington Post, the Russian GRU used the Telegram platform to recruit Ukrainian refugees to commit acts of sabotage, murder, arson, and illegal weapons smuggling through Poland. According to Polish investigators, for several weeks, those who arrived from Ukraine were instructed to reconnoiter Polish seaports, install surveillance cameras on railroad tracks, and hide surveillance equipment in military cargo.
In March, new directives were issued to actively attack trains transporting weapons to Ukraine. Security experts believe that Russia's goal was to target the disruption of the arms supply channels through Poland, which carry more than 80% of military equipment.
Polish and Western security experts emphasize that despite the fact that most of the suspected Ukrainians came from eastern regions close to Moscow, their actions seemed to be driven more by financial motives than ideology.
According to an investigator from Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW), the recruiters promised to pay rewards for various tasks, ranging from a few dollars for graffiti to $12 for posting posters with the words "POLAND ≠ UKRAINE," "NATO GO HOME" and "DO NOT BE BIDEN."
According to official sources, the recruitment channels were used to spread anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland and to test the readiness of new supporters to perform tasks directed against the Polish government. Payments for the work performed were made in cryptocurrencies and electronic transfers, which made them difficult to track. According to ABW employees, at the highest level, the tasks of attacks, arson and murder cost only a few hundred dollars.
