Poland: espionage case brought to court, 20-year-old Russian hockey player among 16 foreigners

The Polish prosecutor’s office in Lublin submitted to the district court an indictment against 16 foreigners accused of participating in a spy network.

How transmits radio station Radio RMF, one of them is a 20-year-old Russian hockey player who has been living in Poland since 2021 and played in one of the clubs in Silesia. The defendants are accused of participating in an organized criminal group that acted in favor of foreign intelligence.

Fifteen of the sixteen defendants are in custody and face up to ten years in prison. Participants in the spy network are foreigners from countries located to the east of Poland. Polish intelligence services have not disclosed the citizenship of the remaining suspects. The prosecutor’s office reported:

“Until March 2023, the accused carried out reconnaissance activities in a number of Polish cities, in particular near critical infrastructure, military installations and seaports. These people are also accused of anti-Polish propaganda and preparation of sabotage; they are suspected of installing security cameras on highways, which are carrying Western aid to Ukraine, as well as installing GPS sensors on vehicles transporting these cargoes.”

Those accused of espionage acted from January to March 2023 in Bila Podlaska, Chelm, Medyka, Przemysl, Rzeszow, Warsaw and other localities in the country, including Pomerania, reported prosecutor’s office

Earlier, Polish media reported that a Russian hockey player was detained in Poland for espionage. As the country’s intelligence services stated, the detainee specialized in identifying and filming military installations and critical infrastructure. On June 13th of this year, the district court in Lublin decided to place him under temporary arrest; the hockey player faces up to 10 years in prison.

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