On October 27, Polish Minister in charge of special services, Tomasz Siemoniak, confirmed the arrest of two Ukrainian citizens. These two men were accused of collecting information about Poland's military and critical infrastructure for foreign intelligence.
The arrest comes as Poland steps up suppression of suspected spiel activities backed by Russia and Belarus.
Siemoniak added that these two Ukrainians are not an isolated case. They are among eight people arrested in a coordinated campaign between Poland and Romania released last week. The development is evidence of "increased sabotage and preparation for sabotage" targeting Poland, he said.
The Polish Internal Security Service (ABW) said two Ukrainian citizens, aged 32 and 34, were arrested in the southern city of Katowice on October 14. In a statement, the ABW stated that the defendants had collected information about members of the Polish Armed Forces and infrastructure related to the efforts to support Ukraine.
The ABW said it had found evidence that the suspects had executed contracts for foreign intelligence, including spying on Poland's potential military, installing covert infrastructure surveillance equipment. The suspects have received payment for these services. A court has issued a temporary detention order for two suspects for three months pending trial.
The arrest came at a time when Poland was playing a central role in supporting Ukraine. As a NATO member and neighbor, Poland is now the main gateway for Western military aid to Ukraine.
The Polish government believes that it is because of this important role that they are being targeted by Russia's attacks. Warsaw accused Moscow of using tactics such as sabotage, cyber attacks and spies to destabilize countries that support Ukraine. For its part, Russia has repeatedly denied these allegations.
