Russian Ice Hockey Player Accused of Being a Spy in Poland
Russian Ice Hockey Player Accused of Being a Spy in Poland.
An ice hockey player from Poland's major league has been charged with spying for Russia, Warsaw says.
The man, a Russian citizen, was arrested on 11 June in Silesia, southern Poland, and is believed to be part of a Russian spy ring.
Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) has so far detained 14 people suspected of being part of the group.
It says all of them are citizens of countries to the east of Poland, not necessarily just Russia.
The decades-long spy conflict between Russia and the West has intensified since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Poland is one of Ukraine's strongest allies, providing military and financial help as well as sheltering millions of Ukrainian refugees.
In a statement on Friday, Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said the arrested ice hockey player was competing in a club from the country' s Ligue 1 - the second-highest division.
"A spy who acted under the guise of an athlete was caught," the minister said. He did not name the detained player, but several Polish media outlets identified the suspect as Maksim S.
He is now being held in pre-trial detention. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
The charged ice hockey player has not made any public comment so far.
The Russian foreign ministry protested to Poland over the detention of the player. "We demand that the Russian side be immediately provided with comprehensive explanations," ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by Russia's state-run Interfax news agency.
On Friday, the Polish authorities said the suspected Russian spy ring had been used by Moscow to conduct intelligence activities, including the monitoring of railways, as well as spreading propaganda against Poland and the Nato military alliance.
The authorities also claimed the ring had prepared sabotage acts ordered by Russian intelligence.
An ice hockey player from Poland's major league has been charged with spying for Russia, Warsaw says.
The man, a Russian citizen, was arrested on 11 June in Silesia, southern Poland, and is believed to be part of a Russian spy ring.
Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) has so far detained 14 people suspected of being part of the group.
It says all of them are citizens of countries to the east of Poland, not necessarily just Russia.
The decades-long spy conflict between Russia and the West has intensified since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Poland is one of Ukraine's strongest allies, providing military and financial help as well as sheltering millions of Ukrainian refugees.
In a statement on Friday, Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said the arrested ice hockey player was competing in a club from the country' s Ligue 1 - the second-highest division.
"A spy who acted under the guise of an athlete was caught," the minister said. He did not name the detained player, but several Polish media outlets identified the suspect as Maksim S.
He is now being held in pre-trial detention. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
The charged ice hockey player has not made any public comment so far.
The Russian foreign ministry protested to Poland over the detention of the player. "We demand that the Russian side be immediately provided with comprehensive explanations," ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by Russia's state-run Interfax news agency.
On Friday, the Polish authorities said the suspected Russian spy ring had been used by Moscow to conduct intelligence activities, including the monitoring of railways, as well as spreading propaganda against Poland and the Nato military alliance.
The authorities also claimed the ring had prepared sabotage acts ordered by Russian intelligence.
Transcript
00:00 Russian ice hockey player accused of being a spy in Poland.
00:03 A major league ice hockey player for Poland has been charged with being part of a ring
00:07 of Russian spies, the BBC reported.
00:11 Polish authorities allege the espionage scheme gathered intelligence in the country, such
00:15 as tracking railways, spread anti-Polish and anti-NATO propaganda, and prepared acts of
00:21 sabotage ordered by Moscow.
00:24 Identified by some Polish media outlets as Maxim S., the hockey player, a Russian national,
00:29 is confirmed to have competed in a club in one of the highest divisions, League One,
00:34 the Polish justice minister said in a statement Friday.
00:37 A spy who acted under the guise of an athlete was caught, the minister announced.
00:42 The Russian foreign ministry spoke out against the detention and demanded Poland "immediately
00:47 provide comprehensive explanations".
00:50 The player is now being held in pretrial detention and could face up to 10 years behind bars
00:55 if convicted.
00:56 He's one of 14 people who Poland's internal security agency have accused of being in the
01:01 Russian intelligence group.