Polish authorities have arrested four people on charges of spying for Russian intelligence and supplying Moscow with military components, the country’s Internal Security Agency said on Thursday.
The agency, known by its Polish initials ABW, said two more people accused of belonging to an organised criminal group had been placed under non-custodial preventive measures. Among the six suspects are five Polish citizens aged between 25 and 52 and a 37-year-old Russian woman.
The four charged with espionage have been placed in pre-trial detention for three months, the agency said.
According to the ABW, the group worked on behalf of the Russian special services and supplied them with significant quantities of military components, including parts used in the production of ammunition and weapons systems. The operation was designed to circumvent the strict embargo on such exports to Russia, Tomasz Siemoniak, the head of Poland’s special services, told reporters.
“Russia is subject to a strict embargo in this area, and this operation was designed to circumvent it,” Siemoniak said.
The arrests are the latest in a series of espionage and sabotage cases in Poland since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The ABW suspects about 100 people of involvement in such incidents since the start of 2024, Siemoniak said.
Poland, a frontline NATO member and one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, has repeatedly warned that it is a target for Russian intelligence activity, including sabotage plots and attempts to obtain restricted military technology. Warsaw has stepped up counter-intelligence operations and tightened export controls on dual-use goods that could reach Russia through third countries.
The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Kremlin has consistently denied conducting sabotage operations in NATO countries or plotting any confrontation with the alliance.
The charges are allegations that have yet to be tested in court, and no evidence against the suspects has been made public.
Sources: Reuters — “Poland arrest four in probe into military supplies sent to Russia“
