Police in Poland have detained a 55-year-old Russian citizen on suspicion of working for foreign intelligence. The man was filmed photographing trains and railway infrastructure in the Świdnica region, in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
When checking the memory media that he had, investigators found hundreds of thousands of files with photos of various places and important transport facilities. Some of them were outside Poland. Polish police indicate that the collected materials may have been used to the detriment of state security.
The investigation was conducted with the Świdnica Prosecutor's Office and the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime in Wrocław. The detainee has been charged under Article 130, paragraph 1 of the Polish Criminal Code, which refers to activities in favor of foreign intelligence.
The court ordered the Russian citizen to remain in custody for three months. Polish authorities did not provide further details about his identity or the specific intelligence service he was allegedly affiliated with.
Semoniak: Russia uses “one-time agents“
The Minister-Coordinator of the Polish Special Services, Tomasz Semoniak, told RMF24 that the detention of a Russian citizen is atypical of the previous model of Russian operations.
“Russia is carrying out hybrid operations against Poland and other European countries. These actions require prior intelligence and documentation,” said Semoniak.According to him, such operations can involve different performers – some may commit arson, while others may film them in order to use the materials or document the course of the actions. The minister also said that the Russian services use so-called “one-time agents,” who receive instructions and several thousand euros.
Semoniak added that until now, the Russian services have avoided sending their citizens directly to carry out tasks, as their detention would create reputational problems and complicate subsequent operations.
Sources: ukrinform.ua, rmf24.pl