Sixteen foreign nationals accused of being part of a network spying in Poland on behalf of Russia have been indicted on charges of espionage and participating in an organised criminal group. They face up to ten years in prison.
The defendants, who were detained earlier this year, are alleged to have carried out reconnaissance of military facilities and critical infrastructure, as well as of transports through Poland of military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Do sądu trafił akt oskarżenia przeciwko 16 członkom siatki szpiegowskiej, która prowadziła na terytorium RP działania na rzecz rosyjskich służb specjalnych.
To efekt śledztwa Agencji Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego.https://t.co/eQhHL1dOcU
— Stanisław Żaryn (@StZaryn) November 22, 2023
The group also allegedly carried out preparations for the derailment of trains transporting aid to Ukraine and undertook propaganda activities aimed at inciting anti-Ukrainian sentiment.
“All defendants admitted to committing the acts they were accused of and voluntarily submitted to punishment,” said the office of the coordinator of Poland’s security services, Stanisław Żaryn, in a statement.
Zbigniew Ziobro – the justice minister and prosecutor general – wrote on social media that “the defendants, on behalf of Russian intelligence, conducted intelligence activities around seaports and military units, prepared acts of sabotage, and undertook propaganda activities against Poland”.
16 rosyjskich szpiegów staje przed sądem. Lubelscy prokuratorzy skierowali właśnie akty oskarżenia przeciwko członkom groźnej siatki szpiegowskiej – oskarżeni na zlecenie rosyjskiego wywiadu prowadzili działania wywiadowcze wokół portów morskich i jednostek militarnych,…
— Zbigniew Ziobro | SP (@ZiobroPL) November 22, 2023
The group operated from January 2023 to March 2023 and regularly informed its employers about the results of their reconnaissance, for which they received a remuneration, according to prosecutors.
The first arrests in the case took place in early March 2023. At the time, Poland announced the detention of nine people suspected of spying for Russia. Further arrests were made in the following months, including of a Russian player from Poland’s top ice hockey league.
The indictments are the result of an investigation conducted by the Internal Security Agency (ABW) under the supervision of the public prosecutor’s office.
Poland has arrested two Russians accused of distributing hundreds of recruitment posters for the Wagner Group in Warsaw and Kraków.
The pair – who Polish investigators say were paid from Moscow – could face up to ten years in prison if found guilty https://t.co/oOASjPtt7Q
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 14, 2023
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Main image credit: Służby specjalne (under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL)
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.
