Poland’s internal security agency (ABW) said on Thursday that an operation was being carried out in coordination with other countries to dismantle a Russian spy network.
“ABW is acting as part of an investigation into espionage activities on behalf of Russia. against the States and institutions of the European Union”wrote the spokesperson for the Polish special services in X, Jacek Dobrzynski.
Additionally, the ABW carried out raids in Warsaw and the southern city of Tychy on Wednesday and “interrogated several people.”
The operation is the result of cooperation between the ABW and several European services, notably the Czech Republic, which announced a similar operation on Wednesday.
The aim of the Russian network was “to achieve the Kremlin’s foreign policy goals, including weakening Poland’s position in the international arena, discrediting Ukraine and the image of European Union institutions”, ABW said in a statement.
This operation also follows the arrest, in January, of a Pole suspected of working for the Russian secret services, ABW explained.
“The man, infiltrated among Polish and European parliamentarians, carried out tasks ordered and financed by collaborators of the Russian intelligence services,” according to the agency, which did not reveal his identity.
Germany has also denounced Russian espionage in Europe. “This case is yet another example of Russia’s extensive and far-reaching influence activities (…) The Federal Republic of Germany remains a major target of Russian influence operations,” a statement told AFP. spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry.