Arrest in ‘plot to assassinate Zelenskyy’
A plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy in Poland has been foiled by the arrest of a spy for Russian military intelligence, authorities in Warsaw say.
The man, a Polish citizen identified only as Pawel K, had contacted Russia’s intelligence agency, the GRU, and offered to help them kill the Ukrainian leader, the Polish state prosecutor’s office said.
The man was recruited and tasked with finding weaknesses in the security of Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, close to the Ukrainian border and frequently used by Zelenskyy to fly abroad, Ukrainian law enforcement sources told The Times.
The airport, which is heavily guarded by United States Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems and Nato troops, is also used by foreign dignitaries on their way to Kyiv and as a hub for western military aid crossing into Ukraine.
“His tasks included collecting and providing the military intelligence of the Russian Federation with information on the security of the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport. This was, among other things, to help Russian special services plan a possible attack on the life of the head of a foreign state – President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” the Polish prosecutor’s office said.
“The findings of the investigation show the suspect Pawel K declared his readiness to act for the military intelligence of the Russian Federation and established contacts with citizens of the Russian Federation directly involved in the war.”
Prosecutors specified that the man was charged with “readiness to act for foreign intelligence against the Republic of Poland” and would be held under temporary arrest while the investigation continued. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison.
The plot highlighted the Kremlin’s continued threat to Ukraine’s western allies, Kyiv said. – The Times
Thousands of villagers are being evacuated and flights have been cancelled amid warnings of a potential tsunami as an island volcano in Indonesia continues to spew lava and send clouds of ash miles into the sky.
Videos posted on social media showed a glowing cloud shot with streaks of lightning above Mt Ruang, a small island off Sulawesi province. The volcano has erupted five times since Tuesday.
The Indonesian government has imposed a 6km exclusion zone around the mountain, which includes parts of the neighbouring island of Tagulandang, where 11,000 people out of a population of 20,000 have been ordered to evacuate. Indonesia has appealed for mats, blankets, washing supplies and tents for more than 800 people from villages on the slopes of Ruang taken to safety earlier.
Ikram al-Ulah, a rescue worker, said: “Some homes on Tagulandang have been damaged by falling rocks. Many people are still wandering around, maybe to evacuate precious goods from their houses.”
Indonesia is one of the world’s most seismically active regions, with frequent earthquakes and 127 active volcanoes. An 1871 eruption on Ruang, which is 725 metres high, triggered a tsunami that wiped out an entire village on Tagulandang.
In 2018, the eruption of Anak Krakatau volcano caused a tsunami along the coasts of Sumatra and Java after parts of the mountain collapsed into the sea.
Anak Krakatau is the remnant of the infamous Krakatoa, whose eruption in 1883 killed 36,000 people and changed weather patterns across the world for several years.
The international airport in the Sulawesi city of Manado was closed yesterday because of the large volumes of ash being pumped into the atmosphere and the effect these can have on aircraft engines. Air Asia cancelled flights to nine airports in Malaysia and Brunei.
Ambar Suryoko, head of the regional airport authority, said: “We have to close flight operations due to the spread of volcanic ash, which could endanger flights.”
In 1982, a British Airways 747 plane flying over Java en route to Australia had a brush with disaster when its engines failed after becoming clogged with ash from Mt Galunggung as it erupted below. – The Times