The Gdańsk military prosecutor’s office in Poland has indicted a Russian citizen accused of conducting espionage activities for Russian intelligence operating in Poland from 2015 to April 2022.
The suspect was arrested by officers of the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW) in April 2022. Polish counterintelligence allegedly discovered that he was involved in supporting Russian military intelligence “by acquiring and gathering information about the Polish Armed Forces.”
According to Grażyna Wawryniuk, the spokesperson from the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk, the man’s suspected espionage activities were focused on military units located in the northeastern part of Poland, within which the accused carried out tasks aimed at reconnaissance focused on the Polish Armed Forces.
Wawryniuk also stated that the accused obtained information about the deployment of individual military units, their organizational and staff structure, actual staff levels, command structure, and soldiers’ pay. Additionally, he collected information on details about the weapons used by individual subunits, types of equipment, operational development, communication and liaison procedures, and military cooperation.
According to the investigators from the Military Counterintelligence Service, the obtained information was passed on to Russian intelligence services.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the Russian spy had been living in Poland legally for many years. During his time in Poland, the accused conducted business activities, and got involved in historical reenactment groups, which enabled him to establish and maintain contacts with Polish soldiers.
The Russian is currently in custody in Poland. He could face up to 10 years in prison for the alleged crimes.
The Gdańsk regional prosecutor’s office stated that the indictment is one of several proceedings currently conducted by military prosecutors on activities of the intelligence services of Russia and Belarus against the Polish Armed Forces.
