In brief: Poland said it arrested six suspected spies, including a 37-year-old Russian woman, for smuggling ammunition components out of Poland into Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave between June 2023 and December 2025. Authorities said they made the arrests between Oct. 21 and Nov. 2, with the smuggled components valued at 2 million zloty (around $511,000).
Poland has arrested six people accused of supplying Russia with restricted arms components.
Notes From Poland said the accused include five Polish citizens and one Russian citizen, with arrests made between Oct. 21 and Nov. 2.
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Polish minister Tomasz Siemoniak said the Polish suspects are aged between 25 and 52, while the Russian suspect is a 37-year-old woman.
The outlet, citing a Thursday announcement by Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW), said the supply involved 2 million zloty (around $511,000) worth of military hardware smuggled to Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad bordering Poland.
“The group is believed to have illegally supplied Russia with significant quantities of components for military use, employed in particular in the production of ammunition and weapons systems,” the ABW said, according to Euronews.
Investigators said the group operated between June 2023 and December 2025 across Poland, Lithuania, and Russia.
The group is said to have purchased and smuggled ammunition components, including shell casings and projectiles, via hidden car compartments, some of which were intercepted at the Polish border.
Euronews said four of the suspects, including the Russian woman, are charged with espionage and placed in pre-trial detention for three months. Siemoniak said “preventive measures not involving deprivation of liberty” were applied to the other two.
Polish authorities said the investigation is ongoing to establish the extent of the network.
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In his X update, Siemoniak added that “nearly 100 individuals” have been named suspects in espionage or sabotage cases since Jan. 1, 2024.
In July 2025, Warsaw said it arrested 32 individuals from five separate countries for allegedly working with Russian intelligence.
Espionage and hybrid attacks on NATO’s eastern flank
Poland, a NATO member since 1999 and a staunch backer of Kyiv, has voiced concerns over Russian espionage and potential invasions for years.
In October, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski reiterated his warnings about Russian hybrid attacks across Europe.
“We’ve had assassinations in Poland, Great Britain, Germany, and elsewhere. We’ve had arsons. We’ve had the attempted blowing up of a train,” he said.
In September, Polish authorities voiced “reasonable suspicion” against Russian intelligence over a fire at a Starlink ground station in central Poland. Later reports suggest two Turkish nationals acted on behalf of Russian intelligence.
On Aug. 31, another fire broke out at a Polish drone factory that produces components for drones used by the Polish and Ukrainian militaries. Authorities suspect an unnamed foreign intelligence service was involved.
In March 2023, Warsaw said it dismantled a Russian spy ring, which included six foreigners who allegedly worked for Russian intelligence and prepared sabotage activities in Poland.
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