Support The Moscow Times!

Poland Expels 45 Russian Diplomats for Espionage

The Russian Embassy in Poland. Ency (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Poland on Wednesday said it had expelled 45 Russian diplomats for espionage, an allegation immediately dismissed as baseless by Russia's ambassador to Poland.

Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski made the announcement on Twitter. 

"Poland has expelled 45 Russian spies pretending to be diplomats," he wrote. "We are dismantling the Russian special services network in our country."

Russian ambassador to Poland Sergey Andreyev confirmed the expulsions, telling reporters that the individuals concerned had been given five days to leave Poland.

"There are no grounds for these kinds of accusations," he said, adding that Russia reserved the right to take retaliatory measures. 

Bilateral diplomatic relations remained in place, he said: "The embassies remain, the ambassadors remain."

Earlier Wednesday, Poland's counter-espionage service ABW had announced that it had detained a Polish national suspected of espionage for Russia's secret services.

"The detainee worked in the archives of Warsaw's registry office," ABW spokesman Stanislaw Zaryn said on Twitter. 

"The activity of the suspect posed a threat to both (the) internal and external security of Poland," he added. 

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more