Charges against two Belarusian citizens accused of espionage for the Belarusian military intelligence service were filed at the Poznań Court by the Military Affairs Department of the Poznań District Prosecutor’s Office, the National Prosecutor’s Office announced on Wednesday.
Arrest of Belarusian spies
The National Public Prosecutor’s Office announced in April last year that the suspects had been arrested. According to the findings of the investigators, they came to Poland under the guise of paid work as drivers.
Based on the material collected by the Military Counterintelligence Service and the material collected in the course of the Prosecutor’s investigation, it was established that they participated in the activities of the Belarusian military intelligence service under the pretext of going to work in Poland . The men obtained and collected information about the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland and infrastructure facilities critical to the defense of the country
PK said that on Wednesday.
It added that the suspects’ espionage activities targeted military units and civilian facilities in the western part of Poland.
As part of this, they performed tasks that consisted of reconnaissance of important parts of the Polish Armed Forces and civilian transport infrastructure
– indicated.
Indictment
At the request of the Prosecutor of the Military Affairs Department of the Poznań County Prosecutor’s Office, the suspects have been subject to a preventive measure in the form of pre-trial detention since their arrest.
The Military Affairs Department of the Poznań District Prosecutor’s Office has filed a complaint in this case with the Poznań District Court.
The men face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Increased espionage activity
The National Public Prosecutor’s Office reminded on Wednesday that this is another charge related to a crime under art. 130 of the Penal Code, or espionage, recently came to court.
Since the outbreak of the Russian offensive war against Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian espionage activities in Poland have intensified, which is reflected in a succession of criminal proceedings related to crimes related to activities for the Russian and Belarusian intelligence services against Poland
PK stressed.
In January of this year, the KP reported that the Department of Military Affairs of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw had filed an indictment with the District Court in Białystok against a Russian and a citizen of Belarus, whom he accused of carrying out activities for the Russian military intelligence in the period from 2017 to April 2022.
At that time, the investigators informed that the activities of the defendants were aimed at military units in the northeastern part of Poland, and as part of this activity they carried out tasks consisting of reconnaissance of important parts of the Polish armed forces and gathering information, in particular in the areas of: state relations with Belarus in connection with the so-called migration crisis, the number of soldiers performing tasks in the border area and the structure of sub-units, the use of specialized equipment by the Polish armed forces, the state and operational capabilities and cooperation of military units stationed in northeastern Poland with the forces of other NATO countries.
As was established, both defendants were legally residing in Poland. As a citizen of Belarus, initially studying at one of the universities of Białystok and then going to work in the organization of parachute training, he made contacts, including social contacts, which he used in his activities for the Russian military intelligence service. The second defendant carried out activities for the Russian intelligence service under the guise of cultural activities and tourism
– mention.
Also in February this year, the PK announced that the Prosecutor of the Department of Military Affairs of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk has filed an indictment with the District Court in Gdańsk against a citizen of the Russian Federation, who has been residing in Poland for many years and who he accused himself of espionage activities for the Russian intelligence service in the period from 2015 to April 2022.
The suspect in this case was arrested in April 2022. Based on the material collected by the Military Counterintelligence Service and the material collected during the investigation, it has been established that he participated in the activities of the Russian military intelligence service by “acquiring and collecting information about the Polish armed forces, including about the location of individual military units, their organizational and staff structure, actual manpower, chain of command, soldiers’ emoluments, as well as details of the armaments of individual sub-units, the type of equipment and armaments used, operational development, principles of communication and cooperation, and the cooperation The information obtained was then passed on to Russian intelligence, the prosecutor’s office reported in February.
The investigation findings show that the suspect’s espionage activities were aimed at military units in northeastern Poland, within which he performed tasks that consisted of identifying important parts of the Polish armed forces.
According to the detectives, the suspect had been legally resident in Poland for years and was running a business. He is said to have been involved in the activities of historical reconstruction groups and in this way, among other things, established and maintained contacts, including social contacts, with soldiers of the Polish armed forces, whom he used in his activities for the Russian intelligence service.
In addition to the crime of espionage, the proceedings revealed a number of corruption offenses committed by a suspected citizen of the Russian Federation, related to the customs clearance of goods transported as part of business activities. The indictment also related to the alleged corruption offenses related to this practice against three citizens of the Republic of Poland.
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wkt/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.