WARSAW: A Polish court on Friday jailed two Russian men for more than five years each under espionage laws for distributing alleged propaganda for the now-disbanded Wagner mercenary group.
The pair, identified by Polish counter-intelligence as Alexei T. and Andrei G., were detained in August 2023 for distributing stickers in Warsaw and Krakow for Russia鈥檚 once-powerful mercenary group.
Also on Friday, Poland鈥檚 Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X that a Russian suspected of sabotage against Poland and its allies had been arrested.
The Russian, 鈥渟uspected of coordinating sabotage acts against Poland, the United States and other allies, and who was hiding in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been deported to Poland and placed under arrest,鈥� Tusk said.
Poland鈥檚 Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak wrote on X that the arrest was 鈥渁 major blow for the Russian sabotage network in Europe.鈥�
The stickers posted by the two sentenced Russians bore the Wagner logo, a slogan in English saying 鈥淲e are here. Join us,鈥� and a QR code directing people to a Russian website about the mercenary group.
Poland鈥檚 counter-intelligence agency said at the time: 鈥淭he Russians had on them more than 3,000 propaganda leaflets promoting the Wagner group.鈥�
鈥淭hese activities were an element of the hybrid warfare aimed at our country,鈥� judge Ewa Karp-Sieklucka said Friday, media in Krakow, where the trial was held, reported.
They were sentenced to five years and six months in jail.
While they did not deny distributing the stickers, they pleaded not guilty, arguing they had not been aware they were taking part in a recruitment campaign.
Poland鈥檚 historically strained relations with neighboring Russia have dipped to new lows over Moscow鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine.
Almost three years into the war, Poland remains a staunch ally of Kyiv. It has become a major logistics hub for military equipment the West has been transferring to the war-torn country.
Warsaw officials have frequently blamed Russia for orchestrating sabotage attempts on its soil, which they say are aimed at destabilising the EU member.
In one of its largest espionage trials, Poland in 2023 convicted 14 citizens of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine of preparing sabotage on behalf of Moscow as part of a spy ring.
They were sentenced for preparing to derail trains carrying aid to Ukraine, and monitoring military facilities and critical infrastructure.
In October, Poland ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Poznan, western Poland, over 鈥渢he hybrid war鈥� it accused Moscow of waging.