Spy network in Poland: most of those detained are Ukrainians recruited through Telegram

The Polish prosecutor’s office in Lublin submitted to the district court an indictment against 16 foreigners accused of participating in a spy network. The Washington Post talks about the details of the investigation in Poland – the agents’ goal was to obtain information about the transportation of Western military aid to Ukraine and carry out sabotage.

How did the recruitment go?

According to the investigation, writes WP, Russia predominantly recruited agents in Poland among Ukrainian and Belarusian citizens, posting advertisements in popular Russian-language Telegram channels for those looking for work or wanting to rent housing.

At first, the work of those recruited consisted of distributing pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian leaflets in large cities, under the promise of quick money. In this way, the Russian Federation tried to stir up anti-Ukrainian sentiments in Poland and identify those potentially ready to carry out more complex and “dangerous” tasks. According to media reports, agents discovered in Poland were planning to blow up trains carrying supplies for Ukraine.

Among the daily regular tasks, writes The Washington Post, is the purchase of phones and cameras, with the help of which agents recorded railway stations, airfields and seaports in Poland, and then dropped the information to the “curators”. They were paid their “salaries” in cryptocurrency to make it harder to track transactions.

Who are the network agents?

Polish authorities believe that the “curators” were appointed by Russian military intelligence (GRU), who formed “cells” of agents depending on the tasks they performed. The agents were given a table with “prices” for various tasks, including even contract killings.

Interlocutors of The Washington Post indicate that among the 16 detainees there are 12 Ukrainian refugees, three citizens of Belarus and one Russian. The investigation believes that most of them were motivated by payment, and not by pro-Russian views. The average age of most agents is 20 years old, but one is only 16.

First arrest and discovery of a spy network

The network of Russian agents was discovered completely by accident. An ordinary passer-by noticed a camera lens on one of the strategically important routes for arms supplies to Ukraine. Law enforcement officers seized the device and contacted other participants in the network.

At first, the Polish intelligence services planned to monitor pro-Russian agents in order to contact their “curators” in the GRU. But the risk of sabotage became more real, so they decided to detain those known involved immediately. The investigation is currently focused on identifying the Russian operatives who oversaw the network of agents in Poland.

Let us remember that the liquidation of the spy network in Poland was announced in March. As part of the operation, nine people were detained, then their number increased to 16. The fourteenth of them was a professional Russian hockey player.

Our publication said that espionage case brought to court. 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 did not disclose the citizenship of the remaining suspects, except for the Russian hockey player. 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.”

The accused spies operated from January to March 2023. 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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