bluesky_Notes from Poland

Poland has detained and charged a Georgian citizen, named only as Makhmud A., with aiding and abetting the murder of a Russian dissident earlier this year. Another Georgian, Elnur A., was already in custody, accused of committing the murder itself.

The prime ministers of Poland and India have, after a meeting in New Delhi, outlined aims to double bilateral trade by 2030 and expand cooperation in mining, shipbuilding, energy, space and defence technologies. Polish-Indian relations are "gaining speed", said Narendra Modi.

Political scandals now rarely have the dramatic impact they once did, but they can still more subtly shift electoral outcomes. @aleksszczerbiak.bsky.social looks at how two recent scandals in Poland may affect the political landscape ahead of next year's elections.

Warsaw is one of "five fast-rising cities that should be on travellers' radars right now", according to BBC Travel. Poland's capital now has a higher quality of life than London, New York and Paris, according to Oxford Economics' Global Cities Index.

A Polish soldier who accidentally shot a Syrian refugee who had entered Poland over the border from Belarus has been acquitted of causing harm through negligent use of a weapon The Syrian man had been seeking 50,000 zloty (€11,500) in compensation from the soldier.

Poland has condemned a decision by Ukraine's Lviv region to declare 2027 a year honouring the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which led the massacre of Poles in WWII, and one of its leaders, Roman Shukhevych. "Glorifying criminal figures is contrary to European values," says the foreign ministry.

Parliament has approved two bills that would liberalise Poland's strict abortion laws. One would reverse the 2020 constitutional court ruling that introduced a near-total ban on abortion; the other would decriminalise providing help to women in obtaining unlawful abortions.

Polish leaders have hit back at US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth's remarks downplaying allies' contribution in Afghanistan. The speaker of parliament called them "scandalous", while Prime Minister Donald Tusk read out a message from a Polish army medic who served in Afghanistan.

A member of Poland's military reserve has been detained on suspicion of espionage. The suspect is a man of Ukrainian origin who recently obtained Polish citizenship. It has not been revealed which country he is accused of seeking to spy for.

Poland has detained and expelled 15 Russians and Belarusians who tried to take part in youth world karate championships that were being hosted by the Polish city of Bielsko-Biała. They had entered Poland using tourist visas from other Schengen area countries.

Poland says it has broken up an international criminal group responsible for laundering €77 million by using currency exchange offices to process money obtained from internet scams. Nine suspects – eight Ukrainians and one Belarusian – have been detained.

Lithuania says there is "no doubt" that a Ukrainian drone which exploded on its territory on Sunday, hitting a moving car, entered its airspace from Poland. However, Poland has so far said that there is no confirmation of an object crossing the border.

Poland has condemned an attack by masked Israeli settlers on a delegation of European diplomats – including Polish ones – visiting the West Bank. It is "further evidence of the settler violence that the Palestinian population faces on a daily basis", says the foreign ministry.

Many more municipalities in Poland will be able to charge a daily fee for tourists and other overnight visitors after a change to the law dropping climate requirements for levying such charges. Kraków, which received 8.7 million overnight tourists in 2025, was among the cities pushing for a change.

Poland's interior ministry has withdrawn a proposal to make it a crime, punishable by up to three years in prison, to provide support to migrants who are in the country illegally. The idea had prompted criticism from human rights groups and even within the government itself.

The heads of Poland and Ukraine's state institutes of national remembrance have met for the first time since 2018, as the two countries seek reconciliation over historical issues that have regularly caused tensions between two otherwise close allies.

The Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance has found 30 human remains in a village in Poland where Polish partisans killed Ukrainian civilians in WWII. It thanked Poland for permission to search at the site, calling it a step towards "true reconciliation".

Poland has asked the European Parliament to lift the immunity of MEP Daniel Obajtek, from the opposition PiS party, to face charges over allegations that, when he was the CEO of Polish state oil giant Orlen, the firm artificially lowered fuel prices ahead of the 2023 elections

The government has signed an agreement with two state firms on preparations for the construction of Poland's planned second nuclear power station. "This is an investment in our security, sovereignty and economic development," says the energy minister.

Our essential guide to Poland's parliamentary elections, which will take place one year from now. How does voting work? What do polls suggest the outcome will be? Which issues may animate the campaign? And what role will President Nawrocki play?

In one of his first announcements since being elected, the new mayor of Kraków, Poland's second-largest city, has declared that he will withdraw official patronage of the annual LGBT+ equality march. He argues that the event has become too "partisan".

Norwegian defence firm Kongsberg has announced plans to build a new factory in Poland producing counter-drone systems. The firm will invest over 200 million zloty (€46 million) in the facility, creating over 100 long-term jobs.

The standoff between the government and president over Poland's constitutional court deepened today, as Maciej Berek, whom the prime minister recently described as his "right-hand man", took his oath as a new judge without the presence of the president.

A 66-year-old Polish man has been charged with planning an attack on Prime Minister Donald Tusk as part of an attempt to overthrow the government. A search of his home revealed improvised explosive devices that he allegedly planned to use in the plot.

Poland and Norway have signed a declaration on deepening security cooperation, including joint defence production, strengthening NATO's northern and eastern flanks, and continuing to support Ukraine.

Two Turkish men suspected of carrying out last month's arson attack on a satellite internet ground station in Poland used by Starlink have been detained in Germany. The Polish authorities say that the sabotage was carried out on behalf of Russia.

Four men - three Ukrainians and a Belarusian - have gone on trial in Warsaw accused of being part of a criminal group that carried out a series of arson attacks in Poland and Lithuania on behalf of Russia.

Data taken from mobile phones by the Polish security services using Pegasus spyware were transmitted outside Poland and were accessible to the tool's Israeli producer, Polish prosecutors have revealed as part of an investigation into the use of Pegasus under the former government.

The United States wants Poland to become a full member of the G20 "as soon as possible". "Poland's economic growth, combined with its growing leadership position in the international arena, make it an ideal participant," says the State Department.

Łukasz Gibała, an independent, has won the mayoral election in Kraków, Poland's second-biggest city, beating Monika Piątkowska, the candidate backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.