Belarusian man and Polish accomplice indicted for espionage in Poland

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

A Belarusian man has been indicted by prosecutors in Poland on suspicion of spying on behalf of Minsk. A Polish citizen is also accused of providing him with assistance. Both men could face up to ten years in prison if found guilty.

The 53-year-old Belarusian, who can be named only as Nikolay M. under Polish privacy law and has been in custody since March, is accused of “taking part in the activities of the intelligence services operating on behalf of Belarus and directed against Poland” between 2018 and 2023.

Prosecutors say that he conducted surveillance of locations in Lublin Province in eastern Poland, which borders both Belarus and Ukraine. That included a military airfield in Biała Podlaska (pictured above during a 2021 Polish-US training exercise).

Nikolay M. allegedly gathered information on air operations, railway infrastructure and the movement of military equipment at the airport.

He also reportedly sought information on facilities and vehicles operated by Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) in the region and “organised a communication channel with officers of the State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus (KGB)”, say the Polish prosecutors.

“When questioned as a suspect, Nikolay M. admitted to committing the act he was accused of,” said the regional prosecutor’s office in Lublin. “He provided explanations confirming the circumstances indicated in the charge.”

They also revealed that Bernard Ś., a 59-year-old Polish citizen, has been indicted. He is accused of assisting Nikolay M. by providing him with accommodation and supporting his activities in Poland, despite being aware he would commit a crime by working for Belarusian intelligence.

Prosecutors say that Bernard Ś. also admitted his involvement and provided testimony consistent with the facts established by the prosecutors during the investigation. The authorities have imposed a travel ban and confiscated his passport as a preventive measure.

When the alleged offences occurred, espionage carried a sentence of one to ten years in prison under Polish law. However, recent amendments to Poland’s criminal code have increased the minimum penalty for espionage to five years, notes Polsat News.

The higher minimum penalty reflects heightened concerns in Poland over security threats from Belarus and Russia amid the war in Ukraine.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Poland has made a number of arrests of people suspected of spying for Belarus and Russia. In December last year, 14 members of a Russian spy network who planned to derail a Ukraine aid train were sentenced in Poland to between one and six years in prison.

Poland has also suggested that it is likely Russia was behind a wave of sabotage cases this year, including a fire that destroyed Warsaw’s largest shopping centre. In May, Prime Minister Donald Tusk revealed that nine people had been charged on suspicion of acts of sabotage on behalf of the Kremlin.

Last month, four people were detained in Poland on suspicion of involvement in sending hidden incendiaries via parcel delivery services to countries in the European Union and to the United Kingdom. According to the Polish prosecutors, the group also planned to send explosives to Canada and the US.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Edgar Grimaldo/Dvids (under public domain)