Poland Arrests Russian Lt. Colonel and Lawyer on Suspicion of Espionage Poland has arrested two men on suspicion of spying for Russia, Reuters reported, citing a briefing from a Polish parliamentarian: Both suspects, an officer working for the Polish ministry of defense and a Warsaw-based lawyer, were detained by Polands Internal Security Agency (ABW) on Wednesday. Prosecutors have not revealed for what country the suspects are alleged to have been spying. But following a briefing by the secret services which took place behind closed doors on Friday, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee said that Russia was involved. Actions are being taken in respect of two agents of the Russian state, the lawmaker, Marek Biernacki told reporters. This was definitely a successful shot aimed at GRU, Biernacki said, a reference to the Russian militarys Main Intelligence Directorate. The two Russians are a lieutenant-colonel, and a lawyer said to have dual Polish and Russian citizenship, according to a report by Radio Zet which officials did not confirm. Polish Prosecutor Andrzej Sereme said the pair were allegedly harming Polands interests, BBC reported. A Warsaw military court has ordered that the lieutenant-colonel be held in custody for three months, and a civilian court has also ruled that the lawyer should be held for three months pending trial. Poland may deport all Russian diplomats form the country as the result of the spy scandal, Polands Deputy Prime Minister Janusz Piechocinski said today, RIA Novosti reported. If all information surrounding the espionage is confirmed, Russian diplomats will be expelled from Poland, Piechocinski told Polish television channel TVN24. Most likely as a result, some of our diplomats will return to the country [Poland], the deputy prime minister said, adding that the expulsion of diplomats is a routine operation. Poland has been at the forefront of Western countries criticizing Russia for its war against Ukraine and has supported sanctions, an increased NATO presence in the Baltic states and aid to Kiev. But like other NATO members, it has stopped short of directly providing sophisticated military assistance. Polish General Boguslaw Pacek, the retired former commander of the National Defense Academy, will advise on the reform of Ukraines military education system. The spy story comes at a time when Poland has been rocked by a scandal involving the deputy defense minister.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 22:11:06 +0000
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