Polish state-run defense company employee detained on suspicion of espionage

Polish authorities detained an employee Friday of a state-owned defense company on suspicion of spying for a foreign intelligence service.

Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said a Pole employed at a factory belonging to Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) was arrested earlier this week following an investigation by the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW).

"Another espionage suspect in custody; good work by the SKW, ABW, and prosecutors," said Tomasz Siemoniak, the minister responsible for coordinating Poland's intelligence services.

He did not identify the foreign intelligence service allegedly involved, nor did authorities disclose the suspect's role within the company or the nature of the information allegedly passed.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said prosecutors in Poznan charged the suspect with providing information to a foreign intelligence service in a way that could harm Poland's national interests. A district court ordered the man to be held in pre-trial detention for three months.

Espionage is punishable by at least eight years in prison and up to life imprisonment under Polish law.

The case is particularly sensitive because it involves an employee of PGZ, Poland's largest state-owned defense group and a key supplier to the armed forces.

The conglomerate includes dozens of companies producing military equipment ranging from artillery systems and armored vehicles to small arms and ammunition.

Many PGZ subsidiaries have expanded production since the onset of Russia's war with Ukraine in 2022, as Poland embarked on one of Europe's largest military modernization programs.

The arrest comes as Polish authorities repeatedly warn that the country has become a major target for alleged Russian intelligence operations due to its role as a logistical hub for Western military assistance to Ukraine.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Polish security services have announced a string of arrests linked to alleged Russian espionage, sabotage and influence operations.

In 2023, Polish authorities dismantled what they described as a Russian spy network that allegedly monitored railway routes used to transport military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Several foreign nationals were later convicted in connection with the case.

Last year, Polish officials reported a sharp increase in hostile intelligence activity, including cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and suspected acts of sabotage targeting NATO countries supporting Ukraine.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government has repeatedly accused Russia and Belarus of conducting hybrid operations against Poland and other European states, allegations both countries deny.