Russian arrested in Świdnica for photographing railway infrastructure
A court decided on three months' detention for a 55-year-old suspected of actions on behalf of a foreign intelligence service. Police secured 250,000 photographs of important transport facilities.
Arrest based on suspicion of espionage
Lower Silesian police arrested a 55-year-old Russian citizen in Świdnica on suspicion of conducting activities on behalf of a foreign intelligence service, according to RMF24 radio station. The court ordered three months' detention for the suspect, who was caught photographing passing trains and railway infrastructure in the city.
Officers established that the man arrived in Poland professionally. While analysing materials on storage devices he possessed, they discovered hundreds of thousands of photographs covering documentation of various locations and important transport facilities — not only in Poland. Among them were objects of critical transport infrastructure.
Karolina Gałecka, spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, disclosed that police secured 250,000 photographs in Świdnica, though additional materials are located on extra storage devices. The prosecution will analyse the contents to determine who commissioned the activity, the total number of photographs, and whether the materials have already been sent to a foreign country.
During questioning, the suspect was unable to logically explain what he was doing in Poland, where he was staying, or whether he formally worked there. Karolina Gałecka emphasised that his testimony was "inconsistent and illogical" — he was also unable to explain why he was photographing or what he needed the photographs for.
Minister coordinating special services Tomasz Siemoniak commented on the case in a conversation with RMF FM, indicating that the appearance of a Russian citizen on the "front line" represents a change in Russian services' activities. "Up until now, the modus operandi has been such that Russian services avoided sending Russian citizens, being aware that both in terms of image and with regard to the subsequent detention of such individuals, it is very difficult," he said.
Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for the minister coordinating special services, informed that since 1 January 2024 in proceedings concerning espionage and sabotage conducted by the Internal Security Agency, 90 individuals have been given the status of suspect. Conducting activities on behalf of a foreign intelligence service carries a sentence of at least 5 years' imprisonment.
Source: RMF24