Polish authorities on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, formally charged six individuals—four Belarusian nationals and two Polish citizens—with attempting to smuggle specialized equipment into Russia that could be used in the production of combat drones, the National Prosecutor’s Office announced.
The suspects, all residing in Poland at the time of their arrests last week, face accusations under a 2022 law criminalizing support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, including the export of strategically important goods with potential military applications. Convictions carry a minimum prison sentence of three years.
“This was equipment of strategic importance, covered by export restrictions introduced after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine,” prosecutors stated. “The attempted smuggling posed a direct threat to Poland’s security interests.”
The case centers on a device designed to automate the production of integrated circuits—components with legitimate civilian uses but also critical in assembling military systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Prosecutors emphasized that Russia’s extensive reliance on drones for battlefield operations and strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure has intensified global efforts to restrict such dual-use technology.
The smuggling attempt was disrupted when Poland’s National Revenue Administration (tax and customs authority) intercepted the shipment during export clearance procedures. The intervention, prosecutors said, “contributed to the disruption of potential deliveries of military equipment to Russian troops operating in eastern Ukraine.”
Coordinated raids by the Internal Security Agency (ABW) led to the detention of all six suspects. A court subsequently ordered pre-trial detention for three of them, citing flight risk and potential threat to national security, while the remaining three were released on bail.
A spokesperson for the ABW described the operation as evidence of increasingly sophisticated attempts to circumvent Western sanctions: “Poland remains a frontline state when it comes to detecting and countering activities that support the Russian war effort.”
The same 2022 sanctions law was recently applied in another high-profile case earlier this month, when five individuals were charged with smuggling cigarettes from Belarus into Poland using weather balloons. Prosecutors argued that the proceeds indirectly benefited Belarusian entities and, by extension, Russia—Minsk’s closest ally and key enabler of the Ukraine invasion.
The latest case underscores Poland’s heightened vigilance regarding sanctions evasion routes through third countries, particularly Belarus, which has served as a logistical and military staging ground for Russian forces. Polish officials have repeatedly warned that Moscow’s growing dependence on Iranian-designed and domestically produced drones has driven intensified efforts to acquire restricted electronics, optics, engines, and production machinery via intermediaries.
Last September, Polish authorities reported an incident in which approximately 20 Russian drones violated Polish airspace overnight, with some intercepted by Polish and allied NATO forces and others crashing without causing casualties or significant damage.
The charges against the six suspects highlight the challenges facing EU and NATO frontline states in enforcing export controls amid Russia’s prolonged war in Ukraine. Investigations continue, with prosecutors expected to seek further evidence of wider networks potentially involved in the procurement chain.
