A new high-profile incident is unfolding in Poland, linked to the deterioration of relations between Warsaw and Kyiv. Law enforcement authorities in the country have detained a 36-year-old Ukrainian citizen after an audio recording appeared online containing, according to the prosecution, threats against the country's incumbent president, Karol Nawrocki.
Police Operational Response
Events developed rapidly. The attention of law enforcement was drawn to materials published on one of the internet resources. In the recording, which became the basis for opening a case, there were allegedly direct threats against the head of state. As Anna Baran, a representative of the police in Zielona Góra, reported, the operational work was carried out in the shortest possible time.
"Upon receiving information about the published materials, investigators immediately established the whereabouts of this man," Baran emphasized. On Saturday, the suspect was brought to the prosecutor's office. Currently, law enforcement officers are reviewing the collected materials and deciding on the issue of presenting official charges.
Legal Consequences
The man faces serious liability. According to police representatives, he may be charged with insulting a constitutional body of the Republic of Poland in connection with threats against the president. According to Article 226 of the Criminal Code of Poland, committing this crime is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for a term of up to two years.
Background of the Diplomatic Scandal
The arrest takes place against the backdrop of a tense political atmosphere between the two countries. Recently, the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, decided to deprive the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of the Order of the White Eagle — the highest state award of Poland. This step provoked a loud diplomatic scandal.
Warsaw explained its decision by the naming of one of the units of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces as "Heroes of the UPA". Kyiv's reaction was not long in coming: the Head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andriy Sybiga, refused Polish awards. In addition, former Ukrainian Presidents Petro Poroshenko, Viktor Yushchenko, and Leonid Kuchma returned their insignia.
Rise in President's Popularity
Despite the diplomatic storm, Nawrocki's tough actions have found support among part of society. According to a poll by the IBRiS research center, the level of trust of Poles in the president has increased by 8.4 percentage points in the last month, reaching a record 54.8%.