MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday that Moscow "strongly protests" the arrest of a Russian citizen in Poland and demands an explanation.

The Russian Embassy in Warsaw is investigating the circumstances surrounding​​​​​​​ the incident, Zakharova told Russian state-run news agency TASS, adding that all necessary assistance will be provided to the Russian hockey player accused of espionage.

"According to the Polish prosecutor, this is the 14th case of the arrest of Russian citizens. We express our strong protest to Warsaw. We demand its immediate comprehensive explanations," the news agency quoted her as saying.

Earlier on Friday, Polish Prosecutor General and Justice Minister Zbigniew Tadeusz Ziobro announced on his Twitter account that the country's Internal Security Agency arrested a Russian citizen.

According to the investigation, the Russian national has been in Poland since Oct. 2021. The prosecutor accused him of being a member of an organized criminal group and working for foreign intelligence, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison if proven.