In Poland, 16 Members of a Russian Spy Network Are Being Prosecuted
In Poland, the investigation into 16 members of an espionage network operating under the direction of the Russian Federation has concluded, and the cases of the accused in espionage will now go to trial.
This was reported by RMF FM.
The Lublin Branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office in Lublin, Poland, has sent an indictment to the Regional Court against 16 individuals accused of engaging in espionage on behalf of foreign intelligence.
At present, 15 out of the 16 individuals accused of espionage are in custody, where preventive measures have been applied. If their guilt is proven, the spies could face imprisonment for up to ten years.
It is noted that the Russian agents operated in Polish cities such as Biała Podlaska, Chełm, Medyka, Przemyśl, Rzeszów, and Warsaw from January to March 2023.
"The accused engaged in activities related, among other things, to the reconnaissance of critical infrastructure objects, including military facilities and seaports," stated the prosecutor's office.
Russian curators recruited and instructed spies through social networks. The criminals collected data and later informed their customer about the results of the work, receiving remuneration.
Among other activities, Russian agents installed web cameras on the routes of transportation of Western military equipment intended for Ukraine and placed GPS tags on such vehicles.
The accused also actively spread anti-Polish propaganda and prepared for sabotage.
One of the arrested spies turned out to be a 20-year-old Russian hockey player who played for one of the clubs in the top league in Silesia. The Russian agent had been in Poland since 2021. His specialization was intelligence and surveillance of defense objects and state institutions in Poland. In addition, the hockey player-spy regularly gathered information about critical infrastructure objects by taking photos and sending images to Russian intelligence curators.
Recall that this summer, The Gaze reported that two Russians spreading propaganda for the Russian terrorist group "Wagner" were detained in Poland.