Fire at military drone factory in Poland, suspicions of Russian terrorist attack
Poland's counter-intelligence agency is investigating a fire at the WB Group factory in Skarżysko-Kamienna, which produces drones for Polish and Ukrainian armies.
WB Group factory in Poland engulfed in flames in the dead of night
Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) is investigating a fire that broke out overnight at a factory in Skarżysko-Kamienna, in the south of the country, which produces drone components for Polish and Ukrainian armies, according to reports. The facility belongs to WB Group, one of Poland's largest private defence companies.
A security officer alerted the authorities around midnight after an intrusion alarm was triggered at the company's headquarters. According to reports cited by Polish news agency Onet, still not officially confirmed, surveillance footage is said to have captured a masked man on the factory premises before the incident occurred.
No one was injured, as the fire broke out while the facility was closed. Police stated that the flames affected a single room, and the extent of the damage is still being assessed.
WB Group described the fire as "minor", emphasising that "all safety procedures and systems functioned as they should" and that the fire "was extinguished quickly". The company added that it would resume operations after completing the necessary formalities.
However, Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesman for the minister coordinating Poland's security services, told TVN24 that the incident is being treated "extremely seriously". "ABW officers are working to determine whether this could be considered an act of sabotage or not", Dobrzyński stated, whilst also warning against "attempts to spread disinformation".
European context of heightened alert
The incident comes amid a series of arson attacks and other actions targeting companies in Europe's defence industry in recent weeks, fuelling concerns about possible Russian involvement.
Last week, Slovak police arrested three foreign nationals suspected of planning to set fire to a drone factory. Earlier this month, Estonian company Milrem Robotics was the target of an arson attack, with authorities investigating whether the action was orchestrated on behalf of Moscow. Explosions also occurred this month at major arms manufacturers in Italy and Bulgaria.
Since Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Europe has been on alert for hybrid warfare activities, including sabotage. Hundreds of cases have been recorded, many of them traced to Russian agents. Moscow has consistently denied the accusations, claiming that such reports are part of a Russophobic propaganda campaign.
Source: Gândul