© depositphotos/tashatuvango The Minister urged Ukrainian citizens not to succumb to promises of “quick money.”
Minister-Coordinator of Polish Special Services Tomasz Siemoniak appealed to Ukrainian citizens who are in Poland not to become tools in the hands of Russian special services. He stated this on the Polsat News TV channel, noting that a noticeable increase in such cases has been recorded recently.
According to him, Russian agents are increasingly recruiting so-called “disposable spies” via the Internet, luring people with promises of quick monetary rewards.
“I appeal to Ukrainians who are in Poland: do not let yourself be deceived for a few thousand euros. Polish services work efficiently. Is it worth risking years of freedom for the sake of a country that attacked Ukraine?” Siemonyak emphasized.
The official emphasized that espionage activities are taking on new forms: instead of traditional recruitment through intermediaries, Russian special services are looking for potential agents on social networks and messengers. Most often, people in difficult financial situations become victims of such schemes.
Siemonyak noted that the use of Ukrainians in Poland is beneficial to the Russian Federation for two reasons at once – it allows for sabotage and at the same time sows distrust between Poles and Ukrainians.
According to Polish intelligence, 55 people acting in Russia's interests have been detained in the past few months alone. Among them are three Ukrainian citizens arrested in Poland and Romania for attempting to organize a channel to smuggle explosives into Ukraine.
Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesman for the Minister-Coordinator of Special Services, clarified that several dozen investigations into espionage and sabotage in favor of the Russian Federation are currently underway in Poland. He emphasized that the majority of recruited Ukrainians and Belarusians agree to cooperate not because of political beliefs, but because of material gain.
As reported, a 34-year-old Ukrainian woman and a 32-year-old Ukrainian man were detained in Poland, suspected of working for foreign intelligence.
