Nikolay M., a 53-year-old Belarusian accused of espionage, has recently begun his trial in Lublin’s District Court. The second defendant, a 59-year-old Pole, is accountable for assisting the Belarussian. Both pleaded guilty during the investigation. The trial will be conducted behind closed doors.
The court granted the parties’ applications and, due to the nature of the case, barred the public from the whole trial. The court determined that the trial’s public aspect and media coverage could jeopardize a significant state interest.
In November 2024, the prosecutor’s office submitted an indictment in this matter before the court. Prosecutor Beata Syk-Jankowska, spokeswoman for the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin, accused 53-year-old Belarusian Nikolay M. of participating in intelligence activities against Poland in Biała Podlaska and other Lublin towns.
According to investigators, the offenses occurred between 2018 and February 24, 2023.
On Friday, January 10, both defendants appeared in court. The court brought Nikolay M. from custody, where he had spent 22 months since March 1, 2023. Bernard Ś. responded based on his right to free expression.
The indictment alleges Nikolay M. conducted reconnaissance of the military airfield in Biała Podlaska, gathering information on air operations, railway infrastructure, and military equipment transportation.
In addition, he gathered information on the Internal Security Agency’s buildings and vehicles in Biała Podlaska.
When questioned as a suspect, Nikolay M. admitted to perpetrating the alleged crime. He supplied explanations that confirmed the facts stated in the accusation, according to Syk-Jankowska.
The second defendant in this case is a Pole, 59-year-old Bernard Ś. The prosecutor’s office accuses him of foreseeing the Belarusian’s potential espionage for the Republic of Belarus and so assisting him.
According to the police, Bernard Ś. coordinated the Belarusian’s stay in Poland, including providing him with an apartment. When questioned as a suspect, Ś. confessed to the alleged crime. The authorities took precautionary measures against him, prohibiting him from leaving the country and seizing his passport.
The crime charged against the accused at the time it was committed was punished by imprisonment for one to ten years. After amendments to the Penal Code, espionage, which is considered a felony, is punishable by at least five years in jail.
This espionage case underscores the covert threats to Poland, showing the need for vigilance and robust counterintelligence. It also raises issues about transparency versus security in judicial processes.
District Court in Lublin: A Belarusian and his Polish accomplice on trial for espionage
