Amid tensions with neighbouring Belarus, two Russian citizens have been arrested in Poland on suspicion of spreading propaganda for the Wagner mercenary group, who are conducting military drills with Minsk, as per authorties on Monday.
Poland's Internal Security Agency, also known as ABW, accused the men of distributing leaflets in the cities of Warsaw and Krakow to convince people in joining the mercenaries and said that the accused men were working on the behalf of Russia's secret services.
"The ABW, in cooperation with the Police, identified and detained two Russians who were distributing propaganda materials of the Wagner Group in Krakow and Warsaw. Both heard allegations, regarding i.a. espionage, and they were arrested. More information coming soon," said Polish interior minister Mariusz Kamiński in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The accused have been identified as Andrei T and Andrei G and were reported by the ABW to receive $5,000 for their work in spreading propaganda for the Wagner group. They were arrested on Friday on charges of working for a foreign intelligence agency and participating in an organised group having terrorist ambitions.
If the accused duo are convicted, they could face upto 10 years in prison. At least 22 people have been arrested by Polish authorities in recent months on suspicions of spying for Russia or its staunch ally Belarus.
Poland, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) member-state, is grappling with intensifying tensions with its neighbour Belarus after a number of Wagner forces have arrived in the country following a failed mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin, and have since participated in joint military exercises with the Belarusian Army.
Earlier, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said 10,000 soldiers would ultimately be deployed to the border area. Additional 2,000 troops would be sent to the border over the next two weeks to double Poland's military presence at the border.
Polish concerns further rose when two Belarusian military helicopters briefly entered Polish airspace in what is seen as a deliberate provocation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier warned Poland that any war on Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia itself, and that Moscow would use any means at its disposal to protect its ally.
On the other hand, Poland is also facing the problem of unauthorised arrival of migrants at the border from Belarus. The government and other members of NATO have blamed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for opening the migration route in an act of 'hybrid warfare'.
"They will probably be disguised as Belarusian border guards and will help illegal immigrants to enter Polish territory, destabilize Poland, but they will also probably try to infiltrate Poland pretending to be illegal immigrants and this creates additional risks," said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to US media.
(with inputs from agencies)
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