Polish Authorities Arrest Former Lawyer of Late Russian Oligarch in Opposition Attacks Investigation

Polish authorities have arrested Anatoly B., the former lawyer of late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky. The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into attacks on Russian opposition figures. Berezovsky, once a powerful figure in Russia, fled to London in 2000 and was found dead in 2013.

Polish authorities have taken into custody Anatoly B., former lawyer to the late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, as part of a broader investigation into attacks on Russian opposition figures, Polish radio reported on Friday. The independent Russian media had earlier reported the arrest, confirmed by the Polish private radio channel RMF FM.

A spokesperson for the National Prosecutors' Office acknowledged the arrest but withheld details, stating, "I can confirm that Mr. Anatoly B. was detained in Poland and charged... The court imposed pre-trial arrest for three months," in a statement to Reuters.

In recent months, NATO member Poland has apprehended several individuals linked to acts of sabotage on its soil, purportedly carried out under Russian directives. In April, two people were arrested for allegedly assaulting Leonid Volkov, a key aide of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who currently lives in exile.

Berezovsky, who was a significant figure in Russia during the 1990s, left the country in 2000 after falling out with President Vladimir Putin. Granted political asylum in London, he was discovered dead in 2013 with a scarf around his neck in the bathroom of a luxury mansion near London. While his family suspected foul play from his Russian adversaries, British authorities concluded it was a case of suicide.

(With inputs from agencies.)