Фото: Reform.news
The Supreme Court of Poland has upheld the conviction of a Belarusian citizen sentenced to four years in prison for spying on behalf of Russian military intelligence, Portal Samorządowy reported, citing PAP.
The investigation was conducted by the Military Division of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw. According to the indictment, the Belarusian and a Russian citizen collected information between 2017 and 2022 about Polish military units, their locations, equipment, personnel, as well as about allied forces.
Both defendants were legally residing in Poland. The Belarusian studied at a university in Białystok and later worked for a company specializing in parachute training. He established contacts and used them in his espionage activities. The Russian worked in the fields of culture and tourism.
According to prosecutors, the Belarusian and the Russian were tasked with gathering information about the operations of Polish troops near the Belarusian border, troop numbers in border areas, unit structures, use of special equipment, and cooperation between Polish units in northeastern Poland and forces from other NATO countries.
Both foreign nationals were arrested in April 2022. Their trial took place in the Białystok District and Appellate Courts. In February 2024, both were sentenced to four years in prison.
A year ago, the appellate court reclassified the defendants’ actions, ruling that they had participated in the activities of a foreign intelligence service against Poland. The court found that they carried out tasks “in the interest of the Russian military intelligence agency, i.e., the GRU of the Russian Federation, through actions and operations related to reconnaissance of military facilities critical to Poland’s defense capability and international standing, as well as by obtaining from professional soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces information on combat readiness, morale, and functioning of the Polish Armed Forces under threat conditions.” The sentences for both men were not changed.
The Belarusian’s defense appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court. On October 22, the Supreme Court dismissed the cassation appeal, ruling it unfounded. The Russian’s defense did not file a cassation complaint.