Poland Arrests Alleged Russian Criminal Authority Near Warsaw

May 15, 2026

Polish law enforcement authorities said Friday that they have arrested a 79-year-old Russian man on suspicion of organized criminal activity, describing him as a powerful member of a criminal underworld.

The man, identified only as Vladimir D. in accordance with Polish privacy laws, was arrested in late April in the region surrounding Warsaw, officials said.

Poland’s Central Investigation Bureau of Police (CBSP) described him as a “thief-in-law,” a prestigious and powerful status within the elite hierarchy of the Russian-speaking criminal world. 

According to investigators, Vladimir D. was “crowned” with the title in 1982, nearly a decade before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

“He may have overseen the activities of a subordinate criminal group, including the planning and execution of crimes, as well as the distribution of illicit proceeds,” the CBSP said in a statement.

At the time of his arrest, which followed an Interpol notice, Vladimir D. did not possess valid travel documents.

A court ordered him to be held in a secure facility for foreigners until his identity is formally confirmed and deportation proceedings to Russia can be finalized.

Read more about: Poland , Organized crime

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