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Russian embassy watches as spy case unfolds in Poland — envoy

According to earlier reports, Polish prosecutors filed indictments in the cases of 16 spy suspects, including 12 Ukrainian nationals, whose names cannot be disclosed under Polish law

MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. The Russian Embassy in Poland is keeping a close eye on the spy case in Warsaw, though it has not received any official information from Polish authorities yet, Russian Ambassador to the republic Sergey Andreyev told TASS.

"We haven’t received any official notifications from the Polish authorities. We don’t know if there are Russian nationals among those individuals who have been charged," the Russian diplomat said. "Naturally, the embassy is watching this situation as it cannot rule out that there may be Russian citizens [among those indicted], but then again, officially, we have no such information," he added.

According to earlier reports, Polish prosecutors filed indictments in the cases of 16 spy suspects, including 12 Ukrainian nationals, whose names cannot be disclosed under Polish law. Also, charges have been filed against three Belarusian nationals from Minsk.

Polish law enforcement agencies said one of the suspects is a Russian national, Maxim S., 20, who was arrested in Poland in late June. He is believed to be a hockey player who played for a Polish amateur team in the 2022-2023 season.

Investigators say the spy ring was active in January-March 2023, as its members gathered information about critical infrastructure, including military facilities and seaports, prepared acts of sabotage and undertook propaganda against Poland. The investigation claims they were paid in cryptocurrency for their work.

The Polish Press Agency said all suspects had pleaded guilty and said they were prepared for their punishment. They may face prison terms of up to six years and fines reaching as high as $5,000. As regards Maxim S., he will have to spend 35 months behind bars and pay a $3,750 fine.

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