Poland arrest four in probe into military supplies sent to Russia

Polish authorities arrested four people ​on charges of spying ​for Russian intelligence services and ‌providing ​them with military components, the Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) said on Thursday. Two others, who ‌were accused of participating in an organised criminal group, have been placed under "non-custodial preventive measures," it said.

Among the six suspects are five Poles, aged ‌25 to 52, and a 37-year-old Russian woman. The arrests add to ‌a series of espionage and sabotage cases in Poland. The agency suspects about 100 people of involvement in such incidents since January 1, 2024, according to ⁠Tomasz Siemoniak, ​the head ⁠of Poland's special services.

The detainees conducted activities on behalf of the Russian special services ⁠and participated in activities supporting the military potential of the Russian Federation, ​the ABW said in a statement. The group illegally supplied Russia with ⁠significant quantities of military components used, among other things, for the production of ammunition ⁠and ​weapon systems, it added.

"Russia is subject to a strict embargo in this area, and this operation was designed to ⁠circumvent it," Siemoniak, the head of Poland’s special services, told reporters. The Russian Embassy ⁠did not ⁠immediately respond to a request for comment. The Kremlin has consistently denied conducting sabotage operations in NATO ‌countries or ‌plotting any confrontation.