Russia arrests two Poles accused of spying in Kaliningrad

Russia's FSB security service said Wednesday it had arrested two Polish citizens in Kaliningrad on accusations of spying for Warsaw.

The FSB alleged the pair were part of Poland's internal security agency and had collected information on Russian defence ministry servicemen and facilities. It did not disclose their identities. The Kaliningrad Regional Court later said both men are Polish citizens.

The FSB said criminal cases had been opened and that the two had been remanded in custody. It also said official warnings had been issued to seven Polish citizens and three Russian citizens who had contacts with Polish special services, and that the Polish citizens had been barred from entering Russia for an extended period.

Polish special services spokesman Jacek Dobrzynski warned Poles on X not to repeat what he called a hostile narrative. He described the arrests on Poland's National Independence Day as another provocation and piece of disinformation.

Relations between Moscow and Warsaw have been strained and worsened after Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine in 2022. Poland supports Kyiv politically and with military aid, and Polish territory is a main transit route for Western military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Poland said last week it had arrested six people suspected of spying for Moscow and supplying its military. The two countries have also expelled diplomats and closed diplomatic missions. Last year Russia closed Poland's consulate in Kaliningrad after Warsaw shut the Russian consulate in Krakow over allegations that Moscow orchestrated a fire that destroyed a Warsaw shopping centre.