Key findings
- A Russian citizen living in Poland has been indicted for conducting espionage activities for Russian intelligence between 2015 and April 2022.
- The suspect obtained and collected information about the Polish Armed Forces and passed it on to the Russian secret service, using contacts he made through his work with historical reconstruction groups.
- The proceedings revealed a number of corruption offenses committed by the suspected Russian citizen, in addition to espionage.
On February 17, 2023, the prosecutor of the Military Affairs Department of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdansk sent an indictment to the District Court in Gdansk against a citizen of the Russian Federation, who has been living in Poland for many years, whom he accused of conducting espionage activities for Russian intelligence between 2015 and April 2022.
He received information about the Polish armed forces
The suspect was detained in April 2022. According to the materials collected by the Military Counterintelligence Service and gathered during the investigation, it was established that he participated in the activities of Russian military intelligence by obtaining and collecting information about the Polish Armed Forces, including the location of individual military units, their organizational and staffing structure, actual staff, command staff, and soldiers’ pay, as well as details on the armament of individual units, the type of equipment and weapons used, operational development, principles of communication and communication, and interaction between the military and the Russian intelligence services. The information was then passed on to the Russian secret service.
He established contacts through reenactment groups
The suspect had been legally residing in Poland for many years and was running a business. Through his work with historical reconstruction groups, he met and kept in touch with Polish soldiers, even on a personal level, whom he then used in his work for Russian intelligence.
The suspect’s spying was mostly done in the northeastern part of Poland, where he worked for military units and did things like check up on important parts of the Polish military.
Corruption charges
In addition to espionage, the proceedings revealed a number of corruption offenses committed by the suspected Russian citizen related to customs clearance of goods transported in the course of business activities. The indictment also covered alleged corruption crimes related to this practice in relation to three citizens of the Republic of Poland.
Temporary detention
Since his arrest, the court has chosen a preventive measure in the form of detention. The man faces a sentence of up to 10 years for the crimes charged.
The case of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdansk, which resulted in an indictment, is one of several proceedings relating to the imprisonment of the activities of the special services of Russia and Belarus against the Polish Armed Forces, which are currently being conducted by prosecutors of the Military Affairs Division.
