Poland has arrested six people for spying on behalf of Russia / The network allegedly also supplied military components to Moscow

Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) announced Thursday the arrest of six people suspected of acting on behalf of Russian intelligence services and supporting Russia’s military capabilities. The suspects include five Polish citizens, aged between 25 and 52, and a 37-year-old Russian citizen.

Four of the detainees, including the Russian citizen, were charged with espionage and placed in pretrial detention for three months. According to the ABW, the group allegedly illegally supplied Russia with significant quantities of military-use components, used mainly in the manufacture of ammunition and weapons systems.

The investigation also concerns violations of regulations governing international trade in goods and technologies of strategic importance for national defense and international security. The minister responsible for the special services, Tomasz Siemoniak, said that nearly 100 people have been charged in espionage and sabotage investigations conducted by the ABW since January 1, 2024.

Poland, a member of NATO and the European Union, has repeatedly accused Russia of acts of sabotage since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. The country is the main route for transporting Western military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the authorities had thwarted a possible provocation at the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

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