How to dismantle institutions from within. ABW learned the instruction for collaborators

Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) has uncovered a Russian instruction manual detailing methods of "sabotage" and "subversion" aimed at destabilizing states from within. The document, discovered on the phone of a Ukrainian citizen identified as Sierhiy S., who was collaborating with Russian special services, provides explicit guidelines for individuals willing to act as collaborators.

According to former ABW officer Lt. Col. Marek Świerczek, "subversion" is a primary tactic employed by Russian intelligence services, ranging from highly specialized operations to simplified versions for volunteer formations. He cited the example of a Russian agent within Ukraine's SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) who allegedly facilitated the Russian army's advance and nearly paralyzed the SBU's operations by embedding a Russian spy network. Proving intentional sabotage, however, remains difficult, as accused individuals can easily claim incompetence.

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Subversion is one of the leading tactics used by Russian services, both in a highly specialized version, carried out as part of espionage operations, and in a maximally simplified version, adapted to the needs of volunteer formations.

The 14-page manual, titled "Saboteur's Guide" by "Gazeta Wyborcza," was published in Moscow in 2022 by the Center for Information and Propaganda Analysis (CAIP). It offers instructions on how to paralyze Ukrainian institutions. Sierhiy S. was recruited by Russian intelligence to carry out an arson attack on a paint center in Wrocław, Poland. In February 2025, he was sentenced to eight years in prison by the District Court in Wrocław for his actions.

The manual contains specific directives for various professional groups and segments of society, outlining tasks designed to disrupt state functions and sow internal discord. The ABW's discovery of this guide highlights the ongoing threat of Russian hybrid warfare and its sophisticated methods of influencing and undermining targeted nations through covert operations and the recruitment of collaborators.

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How to prove intentional harm, when the accused can calmly state that he is simply an incompetent idiot.