A Belarusian's Acquisition of a Gas Terminal in Podlaskie Caused Alarm Among Poles, But Special Services Gave the Go-Ahead

Belarusian businessman and developer of the Lubomirski Palace in Bialystok, Aliaksei Navitski, has come under attack from a number of Polish media outlets.

This major gas trader, whose business is among the top 15 largest Belarusian assets in Poland, is now finalizing a deal to acquire a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) railway terminal in Planta near Narwka in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. The facility is located near the Polish-Belarusian border and was used for transshipment of Russian resources, writes Vadim Syakhovich in his Telegram channel.

The seller of this terminal, one of approximately 20 gas terminals on Poland's eastern borders, was the gas trading company Grupa OniCo.

It is controlled by Polish businessman Sławomir Szczotka by more than 80%. Since 2019, this business has been undergoing restructuring. In search of resources to repay obligations, Szczotka decided to sell the gas terminal, which was managed by his subsidiary company Alpetrol.

The terminal owner was also prompted to take this step by a prolonged decline in transshipment volumes caused by sanctions. It is reported that in 2025, they decreased by 59% compared to 2024, and in the first half of 2026, by 81% compared to the same period last year.

In July of this year, the seller and buyer publicly announced their agreement, the structure of the multi-stage deal, and the amount WGT Group would pay for the asset — 13.9 million zlotys (3.2 million euros). The deal was planned to close no later than December 31, 2026, after completing the necessary regulatory approval procedures in accordance with Polish law.

The fact that state entities — Skarb Państwa (State Treasury) and Lasy Państwowe (State Forests) — ultimately did not exercise their preferential right to purchase this terminal and its associated land plots, as well as the Belarusian origin of Aliaksei Navitski, the owner of 50% of WGT Group, led to critical publications in a number of Polish media outlets.

It is noteworthy that these publications appeared amidst another surge in corporate disagreements within OniCo.

In particular, a warning was recently posted on the OniCo website stating that the company is "very concerned that an individual who does not own a controlling stake is conducting backdoor negotiations for the sale of this stake."

In response to media inquiries to regulators and then to law enforcement agencies, they confirmed that the terminal in Planta is not of interest to the Polish state and that they see no threat to the country in connection with the change of ownership.

The forest department, in particular, stated that "the acquisition of this property is not justified by forestry needs."

The Ministry of State Assets summarized that "the terminal in Planta has minor local significance."

The Internal Security Agency, whose opinion could have been decisive, confirmed that "the facility is not an element of strategic infrastructure" and that "the deal was concluded between private individuals, and the Internal Security Agency has no right to interfere in the business decisions of private enterprise owners unless they pose a specific threat to national security."

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