Poland detains nine accused of spying for Russia

Poland has detained nine foreign nationals whom it accuses of operating as part of a spy network on behalf of Russia. The group monitored arms shipments going through Poland to Ukraine and were also preparing actions to “paralyse” such deliveries, say the Polish authorities.

After the news was first reported unofficially yesterday by Polish broadcaster RMF yesterday, interior minister Mariusz Kamiński today held a press conference at which he confirmed the arrests.

He said that individuals from “beyond the eastern border” had been working on behalf of Russia and were “paid on an ongoing basis by the Russian services”. Six had previously been taken into custody – on an unspecified date – and three more were detained yesterday by the Internal Security Agency (ABW).

The first six have already been charged by prosecutors with espionage and participation in an organised criminal group, said Kamiński, while proceedings are underway against the three who were detained yesterday.

This morning, the information had also been confirmed by defence minister Mariusz Błaszczak. “It was a spy network [that] collected information for those who are attacking Ukraine, who have committed war crimes,” he told Polskie Radio.

According to RMF, the ABW detained the alleged spies after discovering dozens of cameras recording rail traffic mainly in Poland’s southeastern Podkarpackie province, which borders Ukraine.

They included devices in the vicinity of Jasionka airport near Rzeszów, which has been the main transit point for Western weapons and ammunition being sent to Ukraine.

“The evidence shows that the group carried out monitoring of rail routes, their tasks included identifying, monitoring and documenting shipments of armaments for Ukraine,” said Kamiński. “The suspects were also preparing for diversionary activities aimed at paralysing the supply of equipment, weapons and aid to Ukraine.”

Kamiński added that the individuals were “also commissioned to carry out propaganda activities aimed at destabilising Polish-Ukrainian relations, fomenting hostile sentiments in Poland towards NATO, and attacking the actions of the Polish government towards Ukraine”.

As well as itself being one of the largest donors to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, Poland has also become the main hub for other countries providing military and humanitarian aid.

The Polish government has appealed to the public not to publish images or other information online relating to the transport of equipment through the country to Ukraine.

Main image credit: Służby specjalne (under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL)

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.